Department for Transport

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government will meet its target of delivering 4,000 zero emission buses within the 2019 Parliament.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the 4,000 zero emission buses the Government has committed to will be UK-made.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to maximise UK content in zero emission buses.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of zero emission buses funded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area scheme are manufactured outside of the UK.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which non-UK manufacturers have received orders for zero emission buses through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area scheme.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to prioritise the community benefit element of zero emission bus tenders.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with UK bus manufacturers on their ability to deliver the Government’s target of 4,000 zero emission buses.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK jobs that would be created through delivering the Government’s 4,000 zero emission buses target.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on methods to prioritise domestic manufacture of zero emission buses.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what targets his Department plans to set for the use of zero emission buses up to 2030.

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to increase the speed of the UK rollout of zero emission buses.

Mr Richard Holden: We are providing over £525 million dedicated funding for zero emissions buses (ZEBs) this Parliament, though a number of funding schemes:The Government awarded £50 million of funding to the West Midlands Combined Authority to support the Coventry All Electric Bus City. This funding will support the introduction of up to 300 electric buses.£270 million funding was awarded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) which will support up to 1,278 zero emission buses. In London, government funding has supported the introduction of an estimated 600 ZEBs.The Department will provide details on how the remaining £205 million of new funding will be used shortly. We will continue to explore how best to maximise the community benefits of future investment.Funding from other funding schemes, such as the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS), can also be used by local areas to support the introduction of ZEBs. In addition, the rate at which the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) can be claimed for ZEBs was increased from 6p to 22p per km in April 2022. This supports operators to introduce ZEBs by reducing the overall cost of ownership.Table 1 below presents the estimated number of zero emission buses that have been funded in England since February 2020. Where available, information has been provided on the status of the buses and the name of the bus manufacturer has been included. The numbers in Table 1 are not official statistics: they are based on the latest information available and are therefore subject to change. Funding schemeFunding awarded toNo. BusesStatusBus manufacturerZEBRACambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority30FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRAKent County Council33FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRALeicester City Council966 buses on the road 68 buses ordered 22 buses funded6 buses on the road supplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by Yutong 68 buses ordered from Wrightbus Bus manufacturer for 22 buses subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRAMilton Keynes City Council56FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRAWarrington Borough Council120FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRASouth Yorkshire Combined Authority27FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRANorfolk County Council15OrderedWrightbusZEBRANorth Yorkshire County Council39FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRAPortsmouth City Council & Hampshire County Council34OrderedWrightbusZEBRABlackpool Council115FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRANottingham City Council7812 ordered. 66 funded.12 buses supplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by Yutong. Bus manufacturer for 66 buses subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRAGreater Manchester Combined Authority170FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRAHertfordshire County Council27FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRAWest Midlands Combined Authority124FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRACity of York Council44OrderedWrightbusZEBRAWest Yorkshire Combined Authority11132 buses ordered 79 buses funded.32 buses ordered from Wrightbus Bus manufacturer for 79 buses subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.ZEBRAOxfordshire County Council159FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.All Electric Bus Town or City SchemeWest Midlands Combined AuthorityUp to 300130 buses ordered130 buses ordered from Alexander Dennis Ltd Transforming Cities FundLeicester City Council1818 buses on the roadSupplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by YutongTransforming Cities FundLiverpool City Region Combined Authority20Ordered20 buses ordered from Alexander Dennis LtdTransforming Cities FundWest Yorkshire Combined Authority8FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.City Region Sustainable Transport SettlementGreater Manchester Combined Authority50OrderedAlexander Dennis LtdUltra Low Emission Bus SchemeBrighton & Hove Buses20OrderedWrightbusUltra Low Emission Bus SchemeFirst West Yorkshire9On the roadSupplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by YutongUltra Low Emission Bus SchemeGo North East9On the roadSupplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by YutongUltra Low Emission Bus SchemeNottinghamshire County Council4On the roadAlexander Dennis LtdUltra Low Emission Bus SchemeStagecoach Manchester32On the roadAlexander Dennis LtdUltra Low Emission Bus SchemeThe Big Lemon3On the roadSupplied by Harris Group and manufactured by HigerUltra Low Emission Bus SchemeWest Yorkshire Combined Authority5On the roadAlexander Dennis LtdLocal transport authority fundingSurrey County Council34FundedBus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator.Local transport authority fundingHertfordshire County Council1On the roadSwitch MobilityLocal transport authority fundingTransport for London600  Total 2,391   Table 2 below presents information on the estimated number of zero emission buses that have been funded in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since February 2020. The numbers in Table 2 are not official statistics: they are based on the latest information available and are therefore subject to change. Funding Scheme Number of BusesUK Government funding for Wales through the Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme68Welsh Government funding16Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme272Scottish Zero Emission Bus challenge fund276Northern Ireland Executive Funding FY 2020-21100Northern Ireland Executive Funding FY 2021-2238Northern Ireland Executive Funding FY 2022-23100Total870

Cycling and Walking: North Staffordshire

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has provided to support (a) cycling and (b) walking activities in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (ii) north Staffordshire in the last 12 months.

Mr Richard Holden: We provide significant support to upper-tier councils to make it easier and safer for people to choose to walk or cycle. In the last year, we’ve given Staffordshire County Council over £595,000 in funding for active travel – it is a matter for them how that is then allocated within the county.

Department for Transport: Recruitment

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in 2021.

Mr Richard Holden: Due to the financial reporting system in the department it is not possible to separate out spend associated with external recruitment constancy services from all other consultancy spend for the majority of departmental recruitment.

Marks Tey Station: Disability

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will include funding to make Marks Tey railway station step free and accessible in the next round of Access for All funding.

Huw Merriman: We are currently assessing nominations for the next round of Access for All, including Marks Tey station. I expect to make an announcement regarding successful schemes in 2023.

Witham Station: Repairs and Maintenance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when Witham railway station will be upgraded.

Huw Merriman: No date has been set for the upgrade of Witham station. Greater Anglia, the operator of the station, continues to explore opportunities to progress with the redevelopment, which is subject to wider affordability constraints.

Driving Licences: Ukraine

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that Ukrainian driving licences remain valid 12 months after entry to the UK; whether they will be required to take a test to exchange the licence for a GB equivalent; and what support is being given to help with the process of exchanging to a GB equivalent.

Mr Richard Holden: Ukrainian driving licences are already valid for 12 months in Great Britain for driving most cars and motorcycles, and can be exchanged without test for a UK licence. Work is ongoing in respect of Ukrainian bus and lorry licences. Following this question, I have asked officials to consider whether there are further measures we might take in this regard.

High Speed 2 Line: Leeds

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will publish the terms of reference for the HS2 Leeds Area Study.

Huw Merriman: We intend to publish the terms of reference for the HS2 to Leeds Study after the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.

Railways: Fixed Penalties

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department has taken into account the rising cost of living as part of the decision-making process of increasing train penalty fares to £100 from January 2023.

Huw Merriman: The Penalty Fare increase will only impact passengers travelling without valid tickets and does not represent a cost of living increase for fare paying passengers.

High Speed 2 Line: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to commence the study to decide how HS2 East will connect between East Midlands Parkway and Leeds.

Huw Merriman: We intend to publish the terms of reference for the HS2 to Leeds Study after the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.

Railway Stations: Disability

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the number of railway stations in England that do not have disabled access to (a) public lavatories and (b) all platforms.

Huw Merriman: The 2021 Plan for Rail committed to a comprehensive accessibility audit of all stations in Great Britain which will include disabled access to lavatories and all platforms. Over 85% of stations have now been audited and we expect to finish this work by Spring 2023.

Beckenham Junction Station: Bridges

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with Network Rail on restoring the passenger footbridge at Beckenham Junction station.

Huw Merriman: The footbridge at Beckenham junction is closed whilst Network Rail carry out a full refurbishment of it. My officials have been informed that the line possessions required to complete them are planned for the Christmas period, allowing the bridge to reopen in January 2023.

High Speed 2 Line: Leeds

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on the HS2 Leeds Area Study.

Huw Merriman: The Department has been working with Network Rail and key local stakeholders - including West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Council – to develop proposals for Leeds station to accommodate the services outlined in the Integrated Rail Plan, and to prepare for the further work anticipated in the HS2 to Leeds Study.

Railway Stations: Disability

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent trends in the level of staffing at train stations on provision for disabled passengers.

Huw Merriman: Disabilities shouldn’t stop people using our railways. Rail staff will always provide face-to-face service for passengers who need additional support. We are committed to transforming accessibility across the UK rail network, moving staff out of underused ticket offices and into the station where they can provide help where it is most needed. We are also undertaking a full accessibility audit across 2,564 stations across Great Britain to help shape future investment in accessible rail travel.

High Speed 2 Line: Leeds

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with local (a) mayors and (b) leaders on the HS2 Leeds Area Study.

Huw Merriman: Ministers plan to meet imminently with local leaders and metro mayors to discuss the HS2 to Leeds Study.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Minerals: Supply Chains

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to diversify rare earth mineral supply chains away from China.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government published the Critical Minerals Strategy in July, which sets out plans to improve the resilience of critical minerals supply chains by boosting domestic capability, enhancing global markets, and playing a leading role in solving global challenges with our international partners. The Government is committed to building domestic critical mineral supply chains, for example, by supporting UK-based rare earths developer Pensana’s new rare earth magnet materials refinery in Yorkshire. Earlier this year, the UK signed up to the Minerals Security Partnership alongside ten other likeminded partners to support the development of diverse supply chains.

Park Homes: Energy Price Guarantee

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date his Department informed local authorities in England that they were responsible for making payments under the energy price support scheme to park home residents; and when his Department plans to publish details of (a) the timing of those payments and (b) how those payments can be accessed.

Graham Stuart: The Alternative Funding will support households not eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme as they do not have a domestic electricity connection. The Government’s priority is to work with delivery partners to provide the £400 support to households at their primary residence. Eligibility, timescales and method of delivery will be announced in the coming weeks.

Energy Bill Relief Scheme: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether energy support caps will be applied to relevant bills for businesses in Northern Ireland in November 2022.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all non-domestic customers are protected from high energy bills over the winter period across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, suppliers will apply reductions to the bills of eligible non-domestic customers from November 1st.. The Government will compensate suppliers for the reduction in wholesale gas and electricity unit prices that they are passing on to non-domestic customers.

Energy Bills Rebate: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the £400 payment and electricity and gas caps will be reflected in November electricity bills for households in Northern Ireland.

Graham Stuart: Households in Northern Ireland will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills through the Northern Ireland Energy Bills Support Scheme (NI EBSS) this winter. The Government is working to find a solution which can be delivered within the Northern Ireland market as soon as possible.

Retail Trade: Inflation

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of inflation on retail workers.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government understands that retail workers are facing inflationary pressures driven by global factors and welcome steps announced by some retailers to support their workforce. The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. For those who require additional support we have provided an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m, running from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.

Members: Correspondence

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to respond to the letter of 31 August 2022 from the Hon. Member for Stockport related to a constituent.

Kevin Hollinrake: I wrote to the Hon. Member on 2 November 2022 about Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union.

Energy Bills Rebate

Kate Kniveton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made in implementing a scheme to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for (a) park home residents and (b) other households in the one per cent who will not be reached through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Graham Stuart: As announced on 29 July, the EBSS Alternative Funding will be available to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for the households who will not be reached through the EBSS. This includes those who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an energy supplier. The Government is working to make the support available to applicants as soon as possible and is working with a range of organisations, such as local authorities, Devolved Administrations and across the UK Government, to finalise the details of the Alternative Funding and have the process up and running for applications this winter.

Companies: Morley and Outwood

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies registered within Morley and Outwood constituency have been struck off the Companies House register in the past 12 months.

Kevin Hollinrake: Between 1st November 2021 and 31st October 2022, 575 companies with a registered office located in the Morley and Outwood parliamentary constituency were struck off the register.

Parental Pay

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to prepare the Government systems that administer statutory payments in advance of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill receiving Royal Assent.

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to provide businesses with adequate guidance in advance of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill receiving Royal Assent, so that they can prepare for the introduction of paid neonatal leave.

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the anticipated 18 months’ lead time that commercial payroll providers require, in order to implement paid neonatal leave following Royal Assent for the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is committed to implementing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as soon as possible. To deliver this entitlement, it will be necessary to make changes to HMRC systems and for employers and payroll providers to have sufficient notice to update their pay systems.  It will also be necessary to have extensive secondary legislation and guidance in place. This work is estimated to take around 18 months following Royal Assent. BEIS officials are discussing with HMRC and payroll providers whether it is possible to reduce this timeline.

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many unplanned hydrocarbon releases at North Sea oil and gas facilities there were in (a) 2021, (b) 2020 and (c) 2019; and if he will make a statement.

Graham Stuart: There were 274, 203 and 244 unplanned releases of oil from North Sea oil and gas facilities reported to the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning (OPRED), in 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. The vast majority were less than 50 litres. Gaseous hydrocarbon releases are reported separately to the Health & Safety Executive. OPRED undertakes around 100 inspections of offshore installations annually in order to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, which includes the prevention of unplanned releases. OPRED investigates all reported releases and takes enforcement action where appropriate, including issuing financial penalties or referral for prosecution.

Britishvolt: Insolvency

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of Britishvolt going into administration.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government does not comment on speculation or the commercial affairs of private companies.

Britishvolt

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many meetings he has held with representatives of Britishvolt over future investment of the proposed gigabit factory in Blythe in each of the last 6 months.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is committed to securing investment into the automotive sector, which will play an important role in levelling up across the UK and driving down emissions to net zero by 2050. The Government has met frequently with Britishvolt since the start of September, including two meetings with the Secretary of State on 16 September and 21 October. Record of ministerial meetings will be published in accordance with the Government’s standard quarterly transparency publications.

Energy Bills Rebate: Park Homes

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when people who live in park homes will receive the proposed £400 under the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Graham Stuart: As announced on 29 July, the EBSS Alternative Funding will be available to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for the households who will not be reached through the EBSS. This includes those who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an energy supplier, such as park home residents. The Government is working to make the support available to applicants as soon as possible and is working with a range of organisations, such as local authorities, Devolved Administrations and across the UK Government, to finalise the details of the Alternative Funding and have the process up and running for applications this winter.

Companies House: Contracts

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what dates the procurement exercise for an ID verification contract for Companies House (a) opened and (b) closed.

Kevin Hollinrake: Companies House is unable to procure an identity verification provider until the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCT) Bill has received Royal Assent. As such, the tendering exercise to procure an identity verification service has not yet begun. To note, entirely separate to any ID Verification procurement exercises, Companies House did advertise a Digital Delivery Partner opportunity on GOV.UK Digital Marketplace from 10th October to 24th October 2022. This contracting opportunity relates to internal system changes that will move Companies House from the current model of multiple account services to a single log-in portal. Whilst this activity is an enabler for ID Verification, it is wholly distinct from any identity verification provider procurement exercise.

Companies: Registration

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many fines have been levied in each of the past ten years for the offence of false filing to companies house, and what estimate he has made of the value of those fines.

Kevin Hollinrake: In cases prosecuted by the Insolvency Service, the total number and value of fines imposed on a defendant, in each of the past ten years, for a General false statement offence, contrary to Section 1112 Companies Act 2006 is:2012 - nil2013 - nil2014 - nil2015 - nil2016 - nil2017 - nil2018 - 1 x £1,602.002019 - 1 x £15,000.002020 - nil2021 - nil2022 - (up to 31 October) 1x £500.00

Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Scheme: Sefton

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the results of phase 2 of the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme in Sefton.

Graham Stuart: The Government will carry out an impact assessment of the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme. The Government will report on the extent of the impact once complete administrative data from the scheme is made available, which will be at least two months after the scheme completes delivery.

Business: Government Assistance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Pursuant of the Answer of 1 November 2022 to Question 69604 on Business: Government Assistance, for what reasons his Department has not sought access to the list of businesses identified by Begbies Traynor as being in financial distress.

Kevin Hollinrake: Each business is unique and business owners are best placed to assess the actions they need to take. They may seek advice from their accountant or another trusted source, tailored to their individual circumstances. The government does not offer individual financial advice and hence has not sought to contact the businesses identified by Begbies Traynor as being in financial distress. The Government’s goal is to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business. This means providing a supportive business environment, including access to the resources described in the answer to which the Hon. Member refers.

Carbon Emissions: Job Creation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, published on 18 November 2020, whether he has made an estimate of the number of jobs created through the shift to zero emissions vehicles since the publication of that paper.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The automotive sector is an important part of the Government’s plans for green growth, levelling up across our country and driving emissions to net zero by 2050. As set out in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan the production of zero emission road transport vehicles has the potential to support 72,000 jobs, worth up to £9.7 billion GVA in 2050. The Government continues to work with investors through our Automotive Transformation Fund to build a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK. Recent investment announcements by Nissan, Stellantis and Ford will support thousands of highly skilled, green jobs in the UK, and many more across the supply chain.

Carbon Emissions: Job Creation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Action 8.2 of the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published on 17 March 2021, how many jobs related to the low-carbon industrial sector have been created in Merseyside as of 28 October 2022.

Graham Stuart: Data on jobs created in the low carbon industry-sector in Merseyside are not held centrally. Based on current estimates, policies and proposals to reduce emissions in the industry sector could contribute to supporting up to 54,000 jobs in 2030.

Energy Bills Rebate: Park Homes

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Energy Bills support scheme factsheet, updated on his Department's website on 1 November 2022, whether park home owners will receive support via the Energy Bill Relief Scheme where park home residents are not on a standard electricity contract; and if he will set out how those arrangements (a) will operate and (b) begin.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a discount on energy bills for eligible non-domestic customers. Where an eligible intermediary purchases electricity or gas on behalf of an end user, such as a park home site owner may do for their residents, the intermediary will be required to pass on any discount received to the end user. Further guidance on this has been published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-provided-to-intermediaries.

Bulb Energy: Redundancy Pay

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government will be liable for any redundancy payments to employees of Bulb Energy when the sale of Bulb Energy to Octopus Energy is completed.

Graham Stuart: Part of the sale process will involve the transfer of relevant assets to Octopus energy. This will also include Bulb’s employees, reducing any uncertainty they may have about the future of their jobs. The management and any employee matters will be undertaken by the new owners. The Government remains committed in ensuring a smooth transition of the business providing value for all.

Simple Energy

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government agreement with Octopus Energy to take over Bulb Energy includes the sale of Bulb Energy's parent company Simple Energy Ltd.

Graham Stuart: The agreement with Octopus Energy to acquire Bulb does not include the sale of the parent company.

Bulb Energy

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to the public purse has been of Government support for Bulb Energy since November 2021.

Graham Stuart: The administrators published their six-monthly progress report in June 2022, as per their statutory obligation. This showed that £901m of funding had been drawn down under their funding agreement with BEIS. The Special Administrators of Bulb are required by law to keep costs as low as possible and government continue to engage closely to ensure maximum value for money for taxpayers.

Utilities: Radio Frequencies

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating a dedicated radio spectrum to utilities networks.

Graham Stuart: As set out in the March 22 Spectrum Roadmap, https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/234633/spectrum-roadmap.pdf, Ofcom (who are responsible for spectrum allocation decisions) is undertaking a review of the role of spectrum in supporting utilities networks, with the goal of developing a strategy to support the changing wireless operational communication needs of the Energy (Electricity and Gas) and Water sectors. BEIS and DCMS are actively engaged with Ofcom on this review, and BEIS are commissioning various studies into the communication requirements of the energy sector.

Energy: Billing

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring energy companies to ringfence the credit balances of their customers to ensure that those balances are not lost in the event of an insolvency.

Graham Stuart: Ofgem, as the independent regulator of Great Britain gas and electricity markets examines ways to mitigate the impact of energy supplier insolvencies on consumers. In June 2022, Ofgem published a consultation on options for protecting customer credit balances including ringfencing a proportion of credit balances, with the intention of a statutory consultation to follow.

Energy Bills Rebate: Ogmore

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many claims have been made for the first £400 instalment of the Energy Bill Support Scheme vouchers by households in Ogmore.

Graham Stuart: Households in Great Britain should have automatically received the first instalment of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) in October. There is no need for customers to claim the discount. Prepayment meter customers should have received their first Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) discount voucher. These have been sent by SMS text, email or post. Suppliers are reporting to BEIS on scheme delivery, including the redemption of prepayment meter vouchers. These figures will be published in due course.

Energy Bills Rebate: Ogmore

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households in Ogmore which are eligible for the first £400 instalment of the Energy Bill Support Scheme have not yet claimed it.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) is delivering a £400 non-repayable government discount in instalments over six months from October to March to help 29 million households with energy bills over the winter. The first payment reached consumers in October. There is no need to apply for the discount under the Energy Support Scheme in Great in Britain.

British Steel: Scunthorpe

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to provide financial support to Scunthorpe steelworks.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is working intensively with British Steel Limited to understand the best way forward as it seeks to secure a more sustainable future. The Government recognises that businesses are feeling the impact of high global energy prices, particularly steel producers, and announced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme to bring down costs. This is in addition to extensive government support provided to the steel sector to help with energy costs, worth more than £780m since 2013.

Iron and Steel

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with the owners of UK steel manufacturers on the future of steel production in the UK.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) trade bodies and (b) trade unions on the future of steel production in the UK.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Ministers from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy frequently engage with UK steel producers, trade bodies and trade unions on the future of steel production in the UK. Such meetings are already being scheduled at both Secretary of State and Minister of State levels, within the first two weeks of being appointed to these roles.

Housing: Sefton Central

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of homes in Sefton Central constituency which use energy efficient light bulbs, as of 31 October 2022.

Graham Stuart: BEIS does not have an estimate for the number of homes which use energy efficient light bulbs. Information on the percentage of low energy lighting present in the property can be found on the Open Data Communities website, however this only contains data on households with an EPC rating: https://epc.opendatacommunities.org/login.

Housing: Sefton Central

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many homes in Sefton Central constituency have had external wall insulation installed as of 31 October 2022.

Graham Stuart: BEIS estimates that under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Green Homes Grant (GHG) government schemes, around 200 external wall insulation measures have been installed in Sefton Central constituency. Data for ECO covers the start of the scheme in January 2013 to March 2022. Data for the GHG schemes cover the start of the schemes in October/November 2020 to August 2022.

Energy: Conservation

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of delivering public information broadcasts on the most efficient ways to conserve energy in order to reduce (a) household bills and (b) energy consumption.

Graham Stuart: The Government’s public information campaign, Help for Households, aims to increase public awareness of the support available to help with the cost of living, including government financial support to help with energy bills this winter. The campaign website explains the support available, including the Energy Price Guarantee and Energy Bills Support Scheme. It also provides a tool launched earlier this year to provide homeowners with energy efficiency recommendations that could help save hundreds of pounds a year on bills. It recommends some simple actions people may not be aware of which could help to save money.

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the (a) smart meter and (b) 5G rollout on people with electromagnetic hypersensitivity.

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring energy suppliers to offer consumers with electromagnetic hypersensitivity, non-broadcasting, legacy meters in place of smart meters.

Graham Stuart: Smart meters use radio waves in the home to allow remote readings to be taken from gas and electricity meters. There is no evidence that radio waves produced by smart meters pose a health risk. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-meters-radio-waves-and-health/smart-meters-radio-waves-and-health. In respect of 5G, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advice states that there should be no consequences for public health. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/5g-technologies-radio-waves-and-health/5g-technologies-radio-waves-and-health.

Energy Bill Relief Scheme

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the level of support provided by the energy bill relief scheme will be kept under review by his Department during the initial six month period of that scheme; and whether the Government plans to continue support (a) beyond the initial six month period and (b) until energy price volatility has decreased.

Graham Stuart: The Government announced its intention to introduce an Energy Bill Relief Scheme, for six months, from 1 October 2022. Alongside that announcement, the Government committed to carrying out a review of the operation of the scheme in order to inform decisions on future support after March 2023. The review will focus on identifying the non-domestic customers most at risk and how the Government will continue assisting them with energy costs from April 2023. The Government will publish finding of the review by January 2023.

Energy Bill Relief Scheme: Local Government

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether (a) district councils and (b) other local authorities will be eligible for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

Graham Stuart: District councils and other local authorities on eligible contracts will be covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. This scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure all businesses and other non-domestic energy users are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period.

Wind Power: Taxation

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting operatively-owned wind farms from the proposed Cost-Plus Revenue Limit for power generation.

Graham Stuart: The Government recognises the role community and locally owned renewable energy schemes can, and do, play in supporting the UK’s national net zero targets. The Government will continue to ensure that policies will support the success of these schemes.

Energy Price Guarantee: Ogmore

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households in Ogmore constituency will not be covered by the Government's energy price cap.

Graham Stuart: Every household in the Ogmore constituency on standard gas networks will be covered by the Government’s Energy Price Guarantee scheme, saving around £700 this winter. For those who use off-grid or alternative heating, the Alternative Fuel Payment will provide £100 to support households which do not use mains gas and electricity for heating.

Energy: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether all energy support for (a) households and (b) businesses in Northern Ireland will be backdated to October 2022.

Graham Stuart: Households in Northern Ireland will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills through the Northern Ireland Energy Bills Support Scheme this winter.  The Government is working to deliver a solution which accounts for the Northern Ireland market and to provide support as soon as possible. The Northern Ireland Energy Price Guarantee scheme launched on 1 November. The discount will be applied to energy bills from this month, with savings for October’s energy use backdated in bills from November. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to non-domestic customers from 1 October, with October’s bills generally issued in November.

Natural Gas: Shetland

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of halting the development of the North Sea gas field Rosebank.

Graham Stuart: Development proposals for oil fields are a matter for the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). Both the NSTA and OPRED assess development proposals in line with the applicable robust regulations. UK offshore oil and gas production accounts for the equivalent of around half of UK gas demand, and over three-quarters of UK oil demand.

Coal: Mining

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the answer of 28 September to Question 51588 on Coal: Mining, what estimate he has made of how much coal is needed (a) up to and (b) after 2024 for (i) heritage railways and (ii) cement; and if he will make a statement.

Graham Stuart: The Department has not produced estimates of future coal use by industry. There are statistics on supply and demand for coal and manufactured solid fuels published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-chapter-2-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes. The Hon. Member may also be interested in the House of Lords debate on the heritage steam sector from May this year: https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2022-05-18/debates/A688680D-19C8-4893-8FE3-2AB9D452F511/HeritageSteamSectorCoal.

Egypt: Climate Change Convention

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secrertary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Prime Minister will reconsider his decision not attend COP27.

Graham Stuart: I refer the Hon. Member to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s answer to my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford at Prime Minister’s Questions on 2 November 2022.

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the new licencing round for 898 blocks in the North Sea, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on whales and dolphins of new seismic surveys for oil and gas exploration; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the new oil and gas licensing round for 898 blocks and part blocks in the North Sea on the likelihood of achieving Good Environmental Status for the Underwater Noise descriptor; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the new licencing round for 898 blocks in the North Sea, if he will publish a list of the pollutants which could be released into the marine environment from oil and gas exploration, drilling, and transportation; and if he will make a statement.

Graham Stuart: The Government has undertaken an Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment (OESEA4) of a draft plan for licensing and leasing areas for future offshore energy developments including offshore oil and gas, offshore gas and carbon dioxide storage, offshore renewables, and offshore hydrogen, in relevant waters of the UK Continental Shelf. Public consultation on the OESEA4 Environmental Report took place between 17 March and 27 May 2022. The Government response to the OESEA4 was published in September 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/uk-offshore-energy-strategic-environmental-assessment-4-oesea4.A Written Ministerial Statement adopting the plan was made in September 2022: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-09-22/hcws295. In advance of any licence award, as part of the 33rd Offshore Oil and gas Licensing Round, a further Habitats Regulations Assessment will be undertaken.

Energy Charter Treaty

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to withdraw the UK from the Energy Charter Treaty.

Graham Stuart: Contracting Parties to the ECT will decide whether to adopt the modernised Energy Charter Treaty at the Energy Charter Conference on 22 November, with decisions regarding Treaty ratification thereafter. The Government is closely monitoring all developments in the Energy Charter Treaty and taking these into account in its own interaction with the modernisation process.

Energy: Meters

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has instructed energy companies to only offer smart meters to consumers who wish to remove a prepayment meter.

Graham Stuart: The Government wants as many homes and small businesses to be able to benefit from smart meters as possible. Therefore, it has taken steps to make smart meters the default metering offer in Great Britain. This includes obligating energy suppliers, under licence conditions, to take all reasonable steps to install a smart meter where a meter is fitted for the first time or when an existing meter needs to be replaced. Prepayment customers see particular benefits from smart meters, which enable consumers to top-up remotely and track their balance easily, so they do not unknowingly run out of credit.

Energy Bills Rebate

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate has she made of the number of households who have yet to claim their Energy Bill Support Scheme payment.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) is delivering a £400 non-repayable government discount in instalments over six months from October to March to help 29 million households with energy bills over the winter. The first payment reached consumers in October. There is no need to apply for the discount under the Energy Support Scheme for Great Britain.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Mr Steve Baker: The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts. Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hearing Impairment: Health Services

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Action Plan on Hearing Loss on people with hearing loss.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hearing Impairment: Health Services

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for future delivery of the Action Plan on Hearing Loss.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the MHRA and the NHS exchange information about suspected adverse reactions to covid-19 vaccines with the European Medicines Agency's EudraVigilance system; and whether the incidence of such adverse reactions in the UK is similar to that in the European Economic Area.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dementia: Finance

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2022 to Question 13826 on Dementia: Diagnosis, when he plans to publish his Department's funding plans for dementia support for 2022-23.

Helen Whately: We are reviewing plans for dementia in England and further information will be available in due course.

Infectious Diseases: Asylum

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to implement public health measures that prevent spread of infectious diseases to new (a) immigration centres, (b) hotels and (c) other accommodation used to accommodating asylum applicants.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Infectious Diseases: Detention Centres

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to (a) screen for, (b) immunize against and (c) prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases in immigration centres.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Defibrillators: Kirklees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department holds any data on the number of defibrillators in (a) Huddersfield and (b) the Kirklees area.

Helen Whately: The British Heart Foundation estimate that there are 103 defibrillators in Huddersfield and 190 in Kirklees registered on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network.

Dementia: Care Workers

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure that the social care workforce receives training on dementia.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to involve people affected by dementia in the development of the knowledge and skills framework for social care.

Helen Whately: Through Skills for Care, the Government provides resources and practical toolkits for social care providers to attract, train and retain staff. This includes the Workforce Development Fund, which enables employers to apply for financial support towards the development of staff and can include training for staff to care for those with dementia.

Dementia

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of findings of the APPG on Dementia's latest report Workforce Matters: Putting People Affected by Dementia at the Heart of Care.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help social care staff can access ongoing learning opportunities to specialise in dementia care.

Helen Whately: No formal assessment has been made. Through Skills for Care, the Government provides a range of resources and toolkits for social care providers to attract, train and retain staff. This includes the Workforce Development Fund, which enables employers to apply for financial support towards the development of staff and can include training staff to care for those with dementia.

Care Homes: North West Norfolk

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in North West Norfolk constituency as of 1 November 2022.

Helen Whately: As of 1 November 2022, 21 or 63.6% of care homes in the North West Norfolk constituency are rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘good’ overall.

NHS: Workplace Pensions

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the NHS Pension Scheme to help increase the recruitment and retention of clinical staff in Kent and Medway.

Will Quince: The NHS Pension Scheme provides generous retirement benefits for all NHS staff, including those in Kent and Medway. To retain senior clinicians affected by pension tax, we will resolve annual allowance tax charges and we expect employers to make contribution recycling available to affected staff. We will also remove barriers for staff retiring and returning to work and facilitate partial retirement.

Medical Equipment: Energy

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on ensuring that households which use (a) home-oxygen and (b) other medical equipment are not prevented from doing so by rising energy costs.

Helen Whately: Certain National Health Service specialised services provide rebates on energy costs for patients using medical equipment at home, such as home oxygen concentrators.

Members: Correspondence

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2022 to Question 66030 on Members: Correspondence, notwithstanding the two replies received on 16 August 2022 to the letter of 20 December 2021, reference DC21853, and to the letter of 13 April 2022, reference DC24111, both relating to ambulance waiting times, when he plans to respond to the letter originally sent on 13 May 2022, and subsequently resent on 21 July, 10 August, 7 September, 29 September and 17 October, reference DC5119, relating to the investigation of allegations of historical sexual abuse in the NHS.

Will Quince: The former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (James Morris MP) replied to the hon. Member on 16 August 2022. I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates: Regulation

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2022 to Question 49105 on Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates: Regulation, whether he plans to publish the public consultation on the draft legislation aimed at enabling the General Medical Council to regulate physician associates and anaesthesia associates by the end of 2022.

Will Quince: Yes.

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department is conducting on electromagnetic hypersensitivity and the impact of wireless networks on the health of people with that condition.

Will Quince: The Department commissions research on non-ionising radiation through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the UK Health Security Agency. While the NIHR is not currently supporting specific research on electromagnetic hypersensitivity, it continues to fund research on the health effects of non-ionising radiation, including wireless networks. This includes COSMOS, the ongoing international study of mobile phone use and health in adults; and SCAMP, the study of behaviour and health effects of mobile phone use in adolescents at Imperial College London.

General Practitioners: Newcastle upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Newcastle.

Neil O'Brien: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, including in Newcastle. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workloads, such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and funding to expand the staff roles working in general practice, including in Newcastle.

Tuberculosis: Health Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with (a) the NHS and (b) expert networks on the TB strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England published ‘Tuberculosis (TB): action plan for England’ on 1 July 2021, which aims to improve the prevention, detection and control of TB. The action plan’s advisory and implementation group is co-chaired by the UKHSA and NHS England and includes relevant TB experts and stakeholders to provide strategic oversight and governance.There is a review of the implementation, delivery and outcomes of the action plan with stakeholders and partners to improve the impact of its priorities and actions. The review will include an update of functions and responsibilities relevant to TB, to align with the reforms of the public health system in England in 2021 and 2022.

Coronavirus and Influenza: Vaccination

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the (a) flu jab and (b) covid-19 booster roll out.

Neil O'Brien: As of 2 November 2022, the UK Health Security Agency reports that 50.4% of adults aged 50 years old and over have received a COVID-19 booster dose in the autumn programme. NHS England has delivered over 12.7 million autumn booster vaccinations.In 2022/23, the flu programme has been extended to those aged 50 to 64 years old and secondary school children in Years 7, 8 and 9 on a temporary basis. By week ending 30 October, flu vaccine uptake was 64.3% amongst those aged 65 years old and over and 29.9% for those under 65 years old in an at-risk group. The National Health Service issued invitations to 50 to 64 year olds for a flu vaccine from 15 October and to date 20.5% have been vaccinated.

Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a comprehensive plan on the future of NHS dentistry before Christmas 2022.

Neil O'Brien: In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care. The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.We have also announced reforms to the NHS dental contract which are being implemented, including through recent Statutory Instruments. NHS England will publish additional guidance for dentists and commissioners shortly. NHS England is holding further discussions with the British Dental Association, other dental stakeholder groups and patients.

Department of Health and Social Care: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will publish his Department’s data for spending over £500 using an electronic purchasing card solution for the month of August 2021.

Will Quince: The Department published the information requested on the 4 November 2022.

General Practitioners: Greater London

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of GPs in the North East London Integrated Care System catchment area; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of retention initiatives.

Neil O'Brien: NHS Digital’s National Workforce Reporting Service reports that there are 1,600 general practitioners (GPs) in the North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) catchment area.No format assessment has been made. However, in 2021/22 the ICB introduced mid-career fellowships; the development of peer support groups for GPs at different career stages; and primary care mentorship and work experience. In 2022/23, North East London Integrated Care System will invest in ongoing retention schemes and in practices with fewer doctors and/or a smaller patient base.

Animal Feed and Food: Genetically Modified Organisms

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential risks for public health of GMO food and feed being placed on the UK market without any food safety assessment taking place.

Neil O'Brien: All genetically modified food and feed products must receive an extensive risk assessment under the regulatory framework. This involves a detailed assessment of whether the foods could be toxic, the nutritional value and whether the products could cause allergic reactions. These products will only enter the food chain if judged to not present a risk to human health, animal health or the environment, not mislead consumers and not have less nutritional value than existing equivalent products.

Diamorphine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to increase the provision of Diamorphine Assisted Treatment.

Neil O'Brien: Heroin Assisted Treatment (HAT) or Diamorphine Assisted Treatment (DAT) is a clinical intervention supported by the 2017 United Kingdom-wide drug treatment guidelines. Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning drug treatment services, including whether to commission HAT services within its resources for drug treatment funding. The Government supports areas which pursue HAT, where the relevant licences are obtained from the Home Office and in 2021, the former Public Health England provided additional guidance on commissioning and developing a HAT service.The 10-year drug strategy is supported by £780 million, including £532 million for local authorities to invest in treatment and recovery services, in addition to the Public Health Grant. This allows local authorities to determine which interventions will complement existing treatments. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities provides oversight of local delivery and monitors implementation against the aims of the drug strategy.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will take steps to help ensure that people who cannot access an NHS dentist do not have to pay for dental treatment in private settings.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of people required to pay for private dental treatment because they cannot access an NHS dentist on the wellbeing of those people during the cost of living crisis.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made. However, NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

Dental Services: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to bring forward a workforce strategy to help improve rates of recruitment and retention within the dental sector.

Neil O'Brien: Health Education England has undertaken a three-year review of education and training which is being implemented through the Dental Education Reform Programme to improve recruitment and retention.In July 2022, we announced measures to reform National Health Service dental services to increase access for patients and remunerate dentists fairly for caring for patients with complex needs. We are also working with NHS England and the sector on longer-term improvements to make NHS dentistry a more attractive place to work.

Health: Screening

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle the backlog in diagnostic testing.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in diagnostics. We are investing £2.3 billion to increase the volume of diagnostic activity and reduce patient waiting times and establishing up to 160 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) over the next three years. As of October 2022, CDCs have provided over two million additional checks and scans.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of compensating the national governments of countries on the WHO’s Workforce Support and Safeguard List when the doctors trained in those countries register to work for the NHS.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made.The Government’s Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel prohibits active recruitment from the countries identified by the World Health Organization’s Workforce Support and Safeguard List. However, individuals in these countries retain the right to migrate and can make direct applications for vacancies in the United Kingdom.

Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the transition of NHS dentistry to integrated care systems; and what support he is putting in place to support that transition.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that integrated care systems have the resources they require to deliver dental services after their transfer to ICSs.

Neil O'Brien: Since 1 July 2022, nine integrated care boards (ICBs) have responsibility for the commissioning of one or more pharmaceutical services, general ophthalmic services and dental services. NHS England plans to delegate commissioning responsibility to all remaining ICBs for all pharmaceutical, general ophthalmic and dental services from 1 April 2023. NHS England will work with systems to strengthen involvement in decisions during 2022/23 and support ICBs’ development and readiness for these delegated responsibilities from April 2023.

Health Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the processes on (a) NHS England specialised services and (b) the development of new commissioning policies are transparent and inclusive of relevant stakeholders.

Will Quince: The processes for NHS England specialised services and the development of new commissioning policies are published online. NHS England makes decisions on which new specialised treatments should be routinely commissioned. The decisions are taken by NHS England’s Board based on advice from the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, which consists of doctors, health experts and patient representatives. The October 2022 prioritisation decisions are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/october-2022-prioritisation-decisions/

Rheumatology: Consultants

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of consultant rheumatologists in (a) Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (b) London and (c) England.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of full time equivalent consultant rheumatologists in the National Health Service in Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, London and England as of July 2022.England678London126Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust4 Source: NHS Digital, NHS Hospital and Community Health Service workforce statistics

General Practitioners: Negligence

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice covers GPs for (a) telephone consultations and (b) advice given to patients who are temporarily abroad on holiday.

Neil O'Brien: The Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP) is a state clinical negligence scheme in England which covers activities delivered under relevant contracts specified in regulations. Both telephone consultations and advice to patients abroad are covered by what is defined as a ‘relevant function’ in the Scheme’s rules and regulations. Both would therefore be covered by the CNSGP, as long as the patient is registered in England. In the case of advice to patients abroad, the general practitioner would provide services through the health service in England.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are prescribed cannabis-based medicines via private healthcare services in the UK.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held centrally.

Pharmacy

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department expects to publish a response to its consultation on entitled Hub and Spoke Dispensing; and if he will make a statement.

Will Quince: The consultation closed on 8 June 2022 and we are currently reviewing the responses received. Further information will be available in due course.

Pharmacy

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the number of independent qualified prescribers in community pharmacies.

Neil O'Brien: From 2026, all pharmacists will qualify with a prescribing qualification. We are also training approximately 3,000 pharmacists to be independent prescribers in each year until 2024. This training is accessible to pharmacists in all settings including community pharmacy, general practice and hospitals. In addition, independent prescribing pilots will commence England from 2023 to test how National Health Service clinical services with a prescribing element could be introduced in community pharmacy in England.

Circadin: Children

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations of the use of melatonin by children with (a) autism and (b) ADHD who have a sleep disorder.

Will Quince: We have made no specific assessment. Clinicians make prescribing decisions for patients, taking into account best prescribing practice, appropriate guidance and the local commissioning decisions of integrated care boards. The clinician works with the patient to decide on the course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care being the primary consideration.

NHS: Digital Technology

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of plans to produce a digital version of the red book at outlined NHS Long Term Plan.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with officials in NHS England on the plans to produce a digital version of the NHS red book set out in the NHS Long Term Plan published in January 2019.

Neil O'Brien: We are working with NHS England to ensure that plans for digitising the red book align with plans for patient records. Further information will be available in due course.

Department of Health and Social Care: Email

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has sent confidential Departmental information to and from his personal email addresses since his appointment.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Ministers in his Department have sent confidential information to and from their personal email addresses in the last five years.

Will Quince: The Cabinet Office has published guidance to Departments on the use of private email covering how information is held for the purposes of access to information and how formal decisions are recorded for the official record. Departmental Ministers are aware of the guidance and Government business is conducted in line with this. Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely and relevant content from such discussions is passed back to officials.

Silicosis: Disease Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has had recent discussions with industry representatives on (a) the impact of and (b) new technologies to reduce the number of cases of silicosis.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the number of (a) diagnoses of and (b) deaths from silicosis in the last five years.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made. There have been no recent discussions with industry representatives on the impact of new technologies to reduce the number of cases of silicosis. The Health and Safety Executive has produced guidance for employees to prevent lung disease caused by exposure to silica at work, which is available at the following link:https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg463.htm

Dental Services: Lincolnshire

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure the retention of NHS dentists in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Neil O'Brien: On 19 July 2022, the Department and NHS England announced improvements to the National Health Service dental system, including in Lincolnshire. These measures were negotiated by the British Dental Association and include ensuring dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.The NHS People Plan sets out actions to improve staff retention and create a more modern, compassionate and inclusive NHS culture by strengthening health and wellbeing, equality and diversity, culture and leadership and flexible working.

Homeopathy: Expenditure

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total amount spent on homeopathy by NHS trusts was in the most recent financial year for which data is held.

Will Quince: This information is not currently held centrally.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking on (a) funding and (b) staffing to reduce the NHS dentistry backlog resulting from the covid-19 pandemic.

Neil O'Brien: During the pandemic, we provided more than £1.7 billion in income protection to maintain National Health Service dental capacity and services. An additional £50 million was made available in the last quarter of 2021/22 to ensure that more patients in England could obtain an NHS dental appointment.In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care. The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver NHS treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

Hospitals: Construction

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce the final eight trusts to be selected for the new hospital programme.

Will Quince: We received 128 expressions of interest from trusts and these submissions are currently being reviewed. We aim to announce the final decision later in the year.

Department of Health and Social Care: Correspondence and Written Questions

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps their Department is taking to reduce the time taken to respond to (a) written parliamentary questions and (b) correspondence from Members of Parliament.

Will Quince: The Department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of written parliamentary questions and correspondence and officials remain committed to providing the highest level of service.The Department's performance in answering written parliamentary questions on time fell during the COVID-19 pandemic and we continue to receive significantly more written questions than any other Government department. In order to improve performance, we have been delivering against our Written Parliamentary Question Recovery Plan and answered 71% of written parliamentary questions from hon. Members on time between May and July 2022.The Department aims to reply to all correspondence within 20 working days. From May to September 2022, we answered more than 50% of correspondence within 20 working days. This doubled our previous response rate in 2021 and we are committed to making further improvements.

Liothyronine

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, What steps he has taken to improve access to Liothyronine (T3) for the treatment of hypothyroidism?

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. NHS England’s guidance ‘Items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care’ states that levothyroxine is the first treatment for hypothyroidism and liothyronine should not be routinely prescribed. However, the guidance states that liothyronine may be recommended for individual patients who may not respond to levothyroxine alone. NHS England is currently reviewing its guidance and has engaged with patient groups and other stakeholders to obtain feedback.

Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to prioritise access to NHS dental services as part of his policies.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

NHS and Social Services: Finance

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase funding for (a) the NHS and social care and (b) new commitments in the 10 Year Plan.

Will Quince: The Department’s settlement at the Spending Review in 2021 provides a £43.9 billion cash increase in this Parliament to £177.4 billion in 2024/25. This ensures the National Health Service resource budget in England will increase to £162.6 billion in 2024/25, from £123.7 billion in 2019/20. In December 2021, we published ‘People at the Heart of Care’ which set out measures to reform adult social care, supported by £5.4 billion over three years.

Clinical Trials

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's report entitled Clinical research in the UK: an opportunity for growth, published in Autumn 2021, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of trends in the level of Phase III clinical trials in the UK; and for what reasons the number of Phase III clinical trials in the UK was less than those initiated in (a) Germany, (b) Spain, (c) France and (d) Italy in 2020.

Will Quince: All countries saw a decline in the number of clinical studies initiated in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike other countries, in the UK we took proactive steps to focus on delivering COVID-19 research which enabled us to deliver new vaccines and treatments, but this had an impact on other research. The recovery of non-COVID research varied across different countries which were impacted at different times as new strains spread across the world and as a result of differences in how health systems are set up for the delivery of clinical studies.Since Spring 2020, we have been working to restore a diverse and balanced portfolio of non-COVID studies which were impacted due to the pandemic. DHSC and NHS England have asked funders and research sponsors to review their study portfolios to assess the viability of delivering these within the capacity available. This aims to build back a thriving, sustainable and diverse portfolio of research studies within the health and care system which remains open to new studies. More recent data shows the situation is improving with increasing numbers of studies opening in the NHS.

Dentistry: Training

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to enable Centres of Dental Development to deliver training.

Neil O'Brien: Centres for Dental Development and dental schools were addressed in Health Education England’s ‘Advancing Dental Care’ report. Discussions regarding Centres for Dental Development are encouraged through local integrated care boards.

Telemedicine

Dame Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on meeting his NHS Planning Guidance target of 25% of outpatient attendances being delivered remotely by telephone or video consultation.

Will Quince: NHS England is monitoring the use of virtual consultations as part of the Outpatients Transformation Programme. During 2021/22, there were 5.3 million first tele-consultations and 16.6 million subsequent tele-consultations, protecting access to services and reducing pressures on hospital outpatient clinics. In 2021/22, approximately 23% of all attendances were conducted by virtual consultation.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2022 to Question 59928 on Surgery: Waiting Lists, if he will make an estimate of the number of patients who were removed from waiting lists due to patients being diagnosed with other conditions in the last 12 months; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of this approach on transparency in the NHS.

Will Quince: No specific estimate has been made as the information requested is not collected centrally.

Surgery: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Walsall South constituency in the past 12 months.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Dental Services: Great Yarmouth

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of dental services in Great Yarmouth constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made. However, NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022, including in Great Yarmouth. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Great Yarmouth.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

Surgery: Worsley and Eccles South

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 63153 on Surgery: Worsley and Eccles South, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in Worsley and Eccles South. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels. A proportion of this funding will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology.The target to eliminate waiting times of two years or more for elective procedures was met in July 2022 and we aim to eliminate waiting time of eighteen months or more by April 2023. This will be achieved through increasing capacity, seeking alternate capacity in other trusts or the independent sector and engaging with patients to understand choices made regarding their care.

Ambulance Services: Industrial Disputes

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she last met (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (b) the GMB union and (c) the Unite union to discuss industrial action balloting over the pay award in NHS Ambulance Service trusts.

Will Quince: The former Secretary of State, Thérèse Coffey, met Jeremy Hunt in a political capacity prior to his appointment as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The former Secretary of State did not meet with the GMB union or the Unite union while in post.

Gambling: Public Health

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact to public health caused by the delayed publication of the gambling white paper.

Neil O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Batley and Spen (Kim Leadbeater MP) on 2 November 2022 to Question 71349.

Surgery: Worsley and Eccles South

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Worsley and Eccles South constituency in the last 12 months.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Surgery: Wirral West

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cancelled operations there were in Wirral West constituency in the last 12 months.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Surgery: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Exeter constituency in the past 12 months.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Dental Services

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS dentists working in clinical commissioning group areas with the lowest number of NHS dentists per 100,000 population.

Neil O'Brien: Health Education England and NHS England are ensuring that the range of skills within the National Health Service dental workforce is fully utilised, providing care to patients with dentists. We are implementing reforms to the dental system to make NHS dentistry more attractive to dentists through improved remuneration and improve patient access to NHS services.

Surgery: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in the last 12 months.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to take steps to reduce hospital appointment backlogs in England.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels. A proportion of this funding will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology.The target to eliminate waiting times of two years or more for elective procedures was met in July 2022 and we aim to eliminate waiting time of eighteen months or more by April 2023. This will be achieved through increasing capacity, seeking alternate capacity in other trusts or the independent sector and engaging with patients to understand choices made regarding their care.

Surgery: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough Constituency in the past 12 months.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Skin Diseases: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) eczema patients and (b) moderate-to-severe eczema patients waiting for a specialist appointment.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Midwives: Recruitment

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the £95 million of additional investment for maternity funding announced in the NHS Operational Planning Guidance published in March 2021, how many additional midwives have been recruited since the publication of that guidance.

Will Quince: This information is not held centrally in the format requested. However, data on the number of midwives and obstetricians as of July 2022 is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics/july-2022

General Practitioners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in (a) Witham constituency, (b) in Essex and (c) nationwide.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not collected at constituency or county level. In England, 68.1% of appointments were conducted face-to-face in September 2022, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust: Finance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the three letters to hon Members representing Hertfordshire constituencies from the Minister of State Maria Caulfield, dated 6 September 2022, relating to the release of fees totalling £300,000 for planning, surveys and preparation work for West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust buildings, on what date she expects to release the £19.4 million required to commence the enabling works which was requested in October 2021.

Will Quince: All requests for enabling works require business cases, which are subject to the appropriate governance process to ensure effective appraisal and maximum value for taxpayers’ money. Individual funding allocations for enabling works will only be confirmed when the respective business case has been reviewed and agreed. We have received two business cases for a total of £19.4 million for West Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which are now being considered.

Nurses: Staffordshire

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional nurses have been recruited in North Staffordshire in the past 12 months.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Arthritis: Medical Treatments

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of regional variation in access to advanced therapies for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made.

Dialysis Machines: Energy

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to help support kidney patients on home dialysis with energy costs after the end of the Energy Price Guarantee.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that the cost of energy remains affordable for people reliant on home dialysis.

Helen Whately: Provisions are in place for patients receiving haemodialysis treatment at home to be reimbursed by their usual dialysis provider for additional direct energy costs as a result of their treatment.

Adult Social Care Discharge Fund

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Adult Social Care Discharge Fund for helping to reduce the number of patients whose discharge from secondary care settings has been delayed due to the lack of an available care package.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made. The purpose of the fund is to provide local health and care systems with additional resources to reduce delayed discharges from acute hospital settings and provide patients with appropriate ongoing care and support.

Parkinson's Disease: Nurses

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of current levels of Parkinson's nurse specialists on Parkinson's care in England.

Helen Whately: There are currently no plans to make a specific assessment. Once diagnosed and with a management strategy in place, the majority of people with Parkinson’s disease can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care, which is commissioned locally by integrated care boards.

Blood: Donors

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage people to become blood donors.

Neil O'Brien: Since September 2021, the science relating to blood, organ and stem cell donation is taught as part of the secondary school curriculum in England, aimed at promoting awareness in young people. NHS Blood and Transplant use a range of media, marketing activity, donor and patient case studies, partnerships and engagement with faith organisations to raise awareness. Its Community Investment Scheme committed £400,000 to support 35 grassroot, community and faith-based organisations to increase awareness, understanding and behaviour change. NHS Blood and Transplant is also diversifying the donor base, in particular, increasing donors of black heritage.

Spinal Disorders

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with spinal disorders in the last three years.

Helen Whately: The information requested is not held centrally.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the NHS Long-term Plan aim to increase access to echocardiography in primary care to help improve the investigation of patients with breathlessness.

Helen Whately: A new pre-diagnosis breathlessness pathway has been developed to support the improved recognition and timely diagnosis of heart failure and heart valve disease. We have introduced community diagnostic centres, which will support Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to increase the volume of diagnostic activity and reduce patient waiting times. The National Health Service launched 92 community diagnostic centres, which have provided more than 1.25 million diagnostic tests and will support PCNs to improve the detection of conditions such as heart failure and heart valve disease

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is (a) commissioning or (b) developing a policy statement for Mitral valve replacement.

Helen Whately: There are currently no plans to commission a policy statement on mitral valve replacement.

Strokes: Health Services

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made on developing integrated stroke delivery networks.

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of support available to people affected by strokes in north Staffordshire.

Helen Whately: Since 1 April 2021, 20 integrated stroke delivery networks (ISDNs) have been operational in England.In North Staffordshire, the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have a dedicated stroke team which co-ordinates the transfer of care of stroke survivors from hospital providing early, effective and community specialist stroke rehabilitation and disability management. In addition, the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System has a dedicated early supportive discharge and integrated community stroke service, which ensures that stroke survivors from north Staffordshire have on average a shorter length of stay in hospital than elsewhere in the county.

Parkinson's Disease: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of regional differences in access to multidisciplinary support for Parkinson's care on patient outcomes in England.

Helen Whately: There are currently no plans to make a specific assessment.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria apply in establishing whether a person who has suffered multi-system inflammatory syndrome as a result of a Covid-19 vaccine meets the 60 per cent threshold to qualify for a payment under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme.

Helen Whately: All claims are assessed on a case-by-case basis by an experienced independent medical assessor, all of whom are registered doctors with a license to practice. Medical assessors will consider all the available scientific evidence and medical records of claimants once received from healthcare providers and make a clinical assessment on whether it is more probable that the vaccine has caused disablement. This is applied consistently in accordance with the criteria of the Scheme, in line with Schedule 2 of the Social Security (General Benefit) Regulations 1982 and in accordance with Section 103 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

Neurology: Integrated Care Systems

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that integrated care systems prioritise (a) neuroscience and (b) clinical and therapeutic support for people with neurological conditions.

Helen Whately: The majority of people with neurological conditions are cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. Integrated care boards (ICBs), are responsible for developing a plan for how health services will be arranged and local expenditure, including for neurology.

Community Diagnostic Centres: Witham

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of basing a community diagnostic centre in Witham.

Helen Whately: Future locations for community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are currently under review. NHS England is working with integrated care systems, diagnostic networks and primary care services to assess and determine the location and configuration of services for future CDCs, based on the needs of the local population. This review will consider a number of sites in Mid and South Essex.

Strokes: Health Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the education of the early signs of a stroke.

Helen Whately: NHS England has conducted the Act FAST campaign to educate the public on the early signs of a stroke. Analysis suggests that since its launch in 2009, the campaign has led to 4,400 additional thrombolysis treatments.

Dental Health and Dental Services

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) move towards a preventative model of care for dentistry and (b) bring forward a public awareness campaign on oral health.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England will engage with stakeholders in dental professional groups on improving urgent care access; supporting access for new patients; re-orientating the system towards prevention; and on dental team recruitment and retention and integration with the National Health Service. In addition, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has published ‘Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention’ for dental teams to support delivery of preventive advice and treatment for patients, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2022 to Question 16826 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, for what reason the application for a vaccine damage payment made in November 2021 with reference VAD7859 has not been concluded; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: We are unable to provide the information requested as it relates to personal data from which a claimant could be identified.The NHS Business Services Authority provides updates to all claimants directly on the progress of individual claims. A claimant may receive further updates by contacting the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS).

Cancer: Health Services

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the 10-Year Cancer Plan will be published.

Helen Whately: Following the call for evidence for a 10 year cancer plan earlier this year, we received over 5,000 submissions. We are currently reviewing these responses.

Adult Social Care Discharge Fund

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the allocation of the Adult Social Care Discharge Fund.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has consulted and engaged with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities throughout the development and planning of the Adult Social Care Discharge Fund.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to support the reduction of Accident and Emergency waiting times.

Will Quince: The National Health Service is increasing bed capacity for winter 2022/23 by the equivalent of at least 7,000 general and acute beds to reduce waiting times for admission from accident and emergency (A&E).We have established a £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund to assist medically fit patients to leave hospitals quickly, increase bed capacity and reduce waiting times in A&E. This is in addition to the National Discharge Taskforce which aims to reduce delayed discharge across acute, mental health and community care settings by working with social care partners to implement best practice. We are also preparing for variants of COVID-19 and seasonal respiratory illnesses through an integrated COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination programme.

Ambulance Services: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle increased waiting times for ambulances in Slough constituency.

Will Quince: NHS England has allocated an additional £150 million for ambulance service pressures in 2022/23 to support improvements to response times through additional call handler recruitment, retention and other funding requirements, including in Slough. The National Health Service is also investing £20 million to upgrade the ambulance fleet in each year to 2024/25, reducing the age profile and emissions of the fleet and increasing productivity. The NHS will increase bed capacity by the equivalent of at least 7,000 general and acute beds for winter 2022/22, to improve patient flow through hospitals and reduce waiting times in transferring ambulance patients to accident and emergency. NHS England is also providing targeted support to some of the hospitals facing the greatest delays in the handover of ambulance patients into the care of hospitals, to identify short and longer-term interventions.

Motor Neurone Disease: Care Workers

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help increase access to proficient care staff trained to deal with complex care needs for those with motor neurone disease.

Helen Whately: Through Skills for Care, we are providing a range of resources and practical toolkits for social care providers to attract, train and retain staff. This includes distributing funding annually through the Workforce Development Fund, which enables employers to apply for financial support towards the development of staff.

Evusheld

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has had discussions with the Centre for Disease Control in the US on their use of Evusheld as a pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent Covid-19 in people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

Will Quince: The Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce has regular engagement with international partners to share learning on the use, deployment and evaluation of therapeutics and antivirals, including Evusheld. The Taskforce recently met with counterparts from the United States of America and discussed the recent change to the Food and Drug Administration’s treatment guidelines, which recommends physicians advise individuals to have appropriate alternate treatment plans in place, should emerging COVID-19 variants be resistant to Evusheld.We continue monitoring whether and how other countries are using pre-exposure prophylactic treatments in people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

Adult Social Care Discharge Fund

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what date the Adult Social Care Discharge Fund will be made available to Integrated Care Systems.

Helen Whately: The Department is finalising the details of the Adult Social Care Discharge Fund and further information will be available in due course.

Neuromuscular Disorders: Nurses

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of (a) Parkinson's, (b) Multiple Sclerosis and (c) other specialist nurse practitioners who are employed under integrated care systems.

Helen Whately: The quality and safety of services, including specialist nurse practitioners, is monitored by NHS England through the NHS Oversight Framework and by the Care Quality Commission through its assessment and inspection processes.

Hearing Impairment: Diagnosis

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of Community Diagnostic Centres on levels of early diagnosis of hearing loss.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Community Diagnostic Centres in England offer patients accesses to audiology tests.

Helen Whately: No formal assessment has been made. As of November 2022, there are 10 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) in England currently offering audiology assessments.

Health Services: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Care Quality Commission’s finding that disabled people were less likely than non-disabled people to describe the care and support received for health and wellbeing over the last six months as good.

Maria Caulfield: This specific assessment has not been made.We welcome the publication of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual statutory report on the state of health care and adult social care in England on 21 October 2022. We encourage integrated care systems to consider CQC’s findings when developing their own understanding of how they are meeting the needs of their local populations and planning service provision. We are focused on ensuring all patients, including disabled people, receive high-quality care and support for their health and wellbeing. Under the Equality Act (2010), health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged when they access support and services.

Heart Diseases: Diagnosis

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of community diagnostic centres for supporting earlier diagnosis and identification of heart failure.

Helen Whately: The National Health Service has set up more than 80 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) providing over two million diagnostic tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging scans, echocardiography, echocardiograms, spirometry and phlebotomy. CDCs support Primary Care Networks with earlier diagnosis and identification of heart failure and allow patients to benefit from diagnostic tests closer to home.

Atrial Fibrillation: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to tackle the increase in patients suffering with atrial fibrillation.

Helen Whately: NHS England’s NHS Health Check programme, which aims to prevent cardiovascular disease, includes an assessment of pulse rhythm through the blood pressure check. The check identifies those most likely to suffer atrial fibrillation, helping them to reduce their risk by losing weight and stopping smoking.

Cancer: Radiotherapy

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans she has to help improve access to radiotherapy for patients waiting for cancer treatment.

Helen Whately: Since 2016, NHS England has invested over £160 million in radiotherapy equipment which has replaced or upgraded approximately 100 linear accelerators and ensuring local access to advanced radiotherapy techniques and treatments, such as Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy.

Prescriptions: Miscarriage

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department will allow the submission of a Matex certificate application after a woman has miscarried to be backdated to cover the period of time that the woman was pregnant.

Maria Caulfield: A maternity exemption certificate start date is automatically backdated one month from the date the application is received. A maternity exemption certificate start date cannot be backdated further under any circumstances. There are no plans to amend the period for which maternity exemption certificates can be backdated.

Leukaemia: Screening

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that all patients who present to the GP with symptoms of leukaemia get a blood test within 48 hours, in accordance with the NICE NG12 guidelines.

Helen Whately: NHS England’s cancer programme is working with the Blood Cancer Alliance on the development of a potential national blood cancer symptom awareness campaign for 2023/24. The programme will also consider ways to improve GPs’ awareness of blood cancer symptoms, including the 48-hour blood test recommendation.

Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria: Health Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of delays in the diagnosis of non-tuberculosis mycobacteria on the treatment of health conditions relating to that diagnosis.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that patients with non-tuberculosis mycobacteria can access care and treatment this winter.

Helen Whately: No formal assessment has been made. Patients with non-tuberculous mycobacteria are managed in primary and secondary care settings and treated with guideline-based therapy, as recommended in the British Thoracic Society guideline for the management of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease.

Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to implement a public mental health approach that views the population’s mental health as an asset to be protected, supported and sustained.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to address the social determinants of poor mental health.

Maria Caulfield: Earlier this year, we launched a public call for evidence on long term support for mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention. The call for evidence sought views on promoting positive mental wellbeing and preventing the onset of mental ill-health to inform future approaches to public mental health. We received over 5,000 submissions and we are currently reviewing the responses. Through the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, we aim to address the social determinants of poor mental health and health inequalities.

NHS: Standards

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of (a) preventative public mental health programmes and (b) clinical services in supporting the delivery of improvements in ambulances, the backlog, care, doctors and dentists.

Maria Caulfield: No specific assessment has been made. In 2017, the former Public Health England published ‘Mental health services: cost-effective commissioning’ to support local government and provide an estimate of the impact of public mental health interventions on the National Health Service, local authorities, families and schools. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-services-cost-effective-commissioningThrough the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand mental health services in England to enable a further two million people to access mental health support. We also aim to increase the NHS workforce by an additional 27,000 mental health professionals by 2023/24.Over the next three years, we are investing £150 million into schemes which address pressures on the local urgent and emergency mental health care pathway, including alternatives to accident and emergency and hospital admission such as crisis houses, safe havens and step-down services. This funding will also be used to launch dedicated mental health ambulances from 2023/24.

Mental Health Act 1983

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if it is his policy to reform the Mental Health Act 1983.

Maria Caulfield: We remain committed to reforming the Mental Health Act 1983. We published the draft Mental Health Bill on 27 June 2022 which is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government will publish a fully costed and financed workforce plan for mental health services.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan stated the aim of increasing the mental health workforce in England by an additional 27,000 professionals by 2023/24. NHS England and Health Education England are working with local integrated care systems to confirm plans for service models, supply, retention and recruitment until 2024. The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention. The plan is due for completion by the end of 2022.

Eating Disorders: Children and Young People

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase funding for eating disorder services for children and young people to help reduce waiting times for those services.

Maria Caulfield: Since 2016, investment in children and young people's community eating disorder services has increased each year, with an additional £53 million per year from 2021/22. This will enhance the capacity of the 70 new or improved community eating disorder teams.We also invested a further £79 million in 2021/22 to expand children’s mental health services, including allowing 2,000 more children and young people to access support for eating disorders.

Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the implementation of his Department's mental health and wellbeing plan.

Maria Caulfield: Following the mental health and wellbeing call for evidence earlier this year, we received over 5,000 submissions. We are working with other Government Departments to consider these responses and further information will be available in due course.

Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether mental health will continue to be treated as a priority in the NHS and will be given parity of esteem alongside physical health.

Maria Caulfield: We continue to invest in National Health Service mental health services, which has increased from approximately £11 billion in 2015/16 to £15 billion in 2021/22. We amended the Health and Care Act 2022 to commit to parity of esteem and we expect integrated care boards to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the additional covid-19 recovery funding for 2022-23 was allocated to mental health services.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not held in the format requested.

Carers: Employment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the need for a National Carers Strategy, to support unpaid carers to stay in paid work and have access to adequate breaks and support services, whilst continuing with their caring role.

Helen Whately: We are supporting for the hon. Member for North East Fife’s (Wendy Chamberlain MP) Private Members’ Bill, which would introduce a new entitlement to one week of Carer’s Leave for all employees providing care for a dependant with a long-term care need. Funding for respite and short breaks for carers is also included in the National Health Service contribution to the Better Care Fund (BCF). In 2022/23, £291.7 million from the BCF will provide short breaks and respite services and advice and support for carers under the Care Act.

Mental Health: Employment

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a public mental health approach to improving workforce productivity by (a) reducing sick days and (b) presenteeism.

Maria Caulfield: Earlier this year, we launched a public call for evidence on improving mental health outcomes, which recognised that improvements to public mental health could reduce inactivity and increase productivity. We received over 5,000 submissions and we are considering these responses with other Government Departments. Further information will be available in due course.We recently announced a joint programme with the Department for Work and Pensions and NHS England to expand the use of employment advisers in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services in England, with an investment of £122 million to 2024.

Mental Health Services: Disadvantaged

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to carry out public mental health work that reaches the most historically under-served communities.

Maria Caulfield: Earlier this year, we launched a call for evidence on mental health and wellbeing, which received over 5,000 submissions. We are currently considering these responses and will further information will be available in due course.The NHS Long Term Plan commits an additional £2.3 billion a year for mental health services in England by 2023/24, supporting a further two million people to receive National Health Service-funded mental health support, including those in under-served communities. In addition, £15 million has been invested through the Prevention and Promotion for Better Mental Health Fund in 40 local authority areas in the most deprived parts of the country to support those most affected by the pandemic, including families, children and young people, and ethnic minority groups.NHS England is investing up to £30 million over five years to meet the health needs of people sleeping rough and improve access to specialist homelessness mental health support, integrated with existing outreach services. To date, 23 sites have received funding to provide specialist mental health support and additional sites are planned in 2022/23.

Gynaecology: Research

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Women’s Health Strategy for England, published 20 July 2022, what steps his Department is taking to increase research into (a) menstrual and (b) gynaecological conditions since the publication of that strategy.

Maria Caulfield: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Subject to receiving high quality applications, the NIHR expects to commission a new Policy Research Unit dedicated to reproductive health. The Unit will undertake research to inform policy in areas such as menstrual health, gynaecological conditions and menopause. Applications are currently being reviewed with the Unit expected to operational from January 2024. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including menstrual and gynaecological conditions.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to invest in evidence-based programmes that can protect people’s mental health.

Maria Caulfield: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning public mental health programmes through the Public Health Grant. Decisions on investing in evidence-based programmes are made locally. All local authorities received an increase to the Public Health Grant in 2021/22 and a 2.8% increase in 2022/23. The 2021 Spending Review confirmed the Public Health Grant will continue to increase over the Spending Review period. We continue to invest in the Better Health-Every Mind Matters campaign and digital resources to ensure that young people and adults have the skills to prevent or manage sub-clinical mental health problems.

Endometriosis: Fertility

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure fertility preservation for endometriosis patients is given parity with those who have ovarian removal for (a) cancer and (b) other causes.

Maria Caulfield: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for funding decisions for health services in England, based on the clinical needs of the local population. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment and preservation in England.NICE’s fertility guidelines currently includes those people with cancer who wish to preserve fertility. NICE is reviewing its fertility guidelines and will consider whether its recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment and preservation are still appropriate. We expect that this review will be published in 2024.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent medical assessors are employed in evaluating claims under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme in respect of adverse reactions from Covid-19 vaccines; and what the average time taken for each evaluation is.

Helen Whately: The NHS Business Services Authority administers the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) and contracts a third-party supplier to undertake medical assessments. It is estimated that on average approximately 40 trained assessors undertake the equivalent of 11 full-time working hours conducting medical assessments. This is a ten-fold increase since November 2021.At present, once medical records have been sent for assessment an outcome is from the independent medical assessor will normally be received within 12 weeks, although some complex cases may take longer. The rate of assessment is dependent on the speed with which medical records are received and this is being expedited through increased administrative resources in the VDPS and the introduction of Subject Access Requests.

Mental Health Services and Suicide

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on (a) the development of the cross-government 10-year plan for mental health and wellbeing plan and (b) the national suicide prevention strategy.

Maria Caulfield: The mental health and wellbeing call for evidence held earlier this year included questions on suicide prevention. We are currently considering over 5,000 submissions received and further information will be available in due course.

Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government has taken to understand the economics of preventing mental health problems in order to determine possible savings to the NHS and across Government departments.

Maria Caulfield: In 2017 we published ‘Commissioning Cost-Effective Services for Promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health’, which outlined interventions and approaches which demonstrate efficacy and a return on investment for health and social care services and providers. We have been working with other Government Departments, including HM Treasury and using stakeholder evidence to understand the economic cost of mental health problems. The call for evidence launched earlier this year aims to understand which Government actions can support mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention.

Mental Health Services: Disadvantaged

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to meet community representatives of (a) refugees and asylum seekers, (b) homeless people and (c) other members of the Government’s Inclusion Health Groups, in order to develop plans to improve mental health in these groups.

Maria Caulfield: Earlier this year, we launched a public call for evidence on mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention, which received over 5,000 submissions. We are currently considering the responses and further information will be available in due course.

Mental Health Services: Children

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to ensure that children at risk of developing mental health problems due to their family situation receive support to help prevent mental health problems developing.

Maria Caulfield: We are investing £100 million to support perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationships through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 75 local authorities. In addition, the Supporting Families Programme will assist a further 300,000 families facing multiple interconnected issues. Health visitors and school nurses also provide targeted prevention measures to promote improved mental health for children and families at greatest risk.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to make sure that all children and young people at risk of mental illness receive support to prevent the development of mental health problems.

Maria Caulfield: The Department provides data for commissioners to identify children and young people most at risk of mental illness. There are a range of programmes which prioritise this support, including Family Hubs and Start for Life; Supporting Families; the Healthy Child Programme; addressing speech, language and communication needs; and mental health support teams.

Endometriosis: Pain

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the potential merits of introducing guidelines on nonpharmacological ways to manage chronic pain related to endometriosis.

Maria Caulfield: There have been no recent discussions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body responsible for determining whether its published guidelines require updating in light of new evidence or emerging issues. NICE recently reviewed its guideline on endometriosis and published a surveillance review on 3 November 2022 which states that it will update the sections on diagnosing endometriosis, surgical management and surgical management if fertility is a priority. NICE will also further explore the topic of mental wellbeing and support for people with suspected or confirmed endometriosis during scoping of the update.

Mental Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the most recent meeting by a Minister took place with a NHS Mental Health Trust.

Maria Caulfield: The former Parliamentary under Secretary of State (Dr Caroline Johnson MP) met with representatives of the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust on 6 October 2022.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Niche reports on the deaths of three teenage girls in the care of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust published on 2 November 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of mental health services for children and young people; and whether he will publish a statement.

Maria Caulfield: We are working with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and mental health providers to ensure that all adults and children and young people being treated in such settings receive safe, high-quality and compassionate care and are treated with dignity and respect. Whilst the Department has made no such specific assessment, NHS England has established the National Quality Improvement Taskforce to improve specialist children and young people’s inpatient mental health, autism and learning disability services in England. The Taskforce is expected to complete its work in spring 2023. The CQC has introduced a new single assessment framework to target more frequent inspections at the worst-performing service providers. The new framework contains six evidence categories which states the type of evidence the CQC will collect which form a picture of the quality of care and improve the consistency of its judgements.

Social Services: Weaver Vale

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she taking to increase adult social care capacity in Weaver Vale constituency.

Helen Whately: Local authorities are responsible for ensuring there is sufficient care capacity to meet the care needs of the local population.We have made £500 million available to support discharge from hospital into the community. We are launching a £15 million international recruitment fund and a new domestic campaign shortly.

Blood: Donors

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage Black people to donate blood in the context of rising rates of sickle cell disease.

Neil O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne MP) on 20 October to Question 60975.

Dentistry: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the number of NHS dental training positions in the United Kingdom (a) at existing dental training schools and (b) by founding new schools.

Neil O'Brien: There are no current plans to increase the number of dental training places or dental schools in England. However, Health Education England has undertaken the three-year Advancing Dental Care Review of education and training which is being implemented through the Dental Education Reform Programme to improve recruitment and retention in the dental workforce.

Care homes: Costs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial support will be available to pensioners living in care homes in the event that the cost of care home accommodation rises in response to increases to the cost of living.

Helen Whately: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities provide means-tested financial support to adults unable to meet the full costs of their care. In 2021/2022, 199,000 people aged over 65 years old in care homes were supported by the local authority.On 26 May 2022, the Government announced measures to assist with the rising cost of living. To ensure this is available to individuals receiving social care, we laid regulations to allow the sums awarded to be disregarded when a mean-tested financial assessment is undertaken by local authorities to determine the contribution towards care costs.

Cerebral Palsy: Health Services

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure all people with cerebral palsy in England receive (a) regional specialised support services, (b) clear care pathways and (c) annual patient reviews on the NHS.

Helen Whately: The majority of services for people with cerebral palsy are commissioned locally by integrated care boards which are best placed to make decisions according to local need.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on care and support for adults with cerebral palsy to support healthcare professionals and commissioners. The guidance recommends service providers develop pathways which allow patients with cerebral palsy to access specialist neurology services and include an offer of an annual review of a patient’s clinical and functional needs.

Pharmacy

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to implement the recommendations of the Fuller Stocktake report including through expanding the role of the pharmacy sector in the delivery of primary care services; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-24 sets out how community pharmacy will become further integrated in the National Health Service, delivering more clinical services and provide treatment and advice for minor illnesses. Since 2019, several services have been introduced and expanded in community pharmacy to use the skills of pharmacy teams and relieve pressures in primary care.In September 2022, we announced that community pharmacists will manage and initiate contraception and provide additional support to patients newly prescribed antidepressants. In addition, urgent emergency care settings will refer patients to a community pharmacist for a minor illness consultation or an urgent medicine supply.

Cancer: Health Services

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the development of the 10-year cancer plan; and when he plans to publish that plan.

Helen Whately: I’d like to thank the over 5,000 individuals and organisations who responded to the call for evidence. As a new Government, we are considering how best to take forward the 10 year cancer plan.

Care Homes: Edmonton

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Edmonton constituency since 2015.

Helen Whately: Since 1 January 2015, seven residential care homes in the Edmonton constituency have been ‘deactivated’. The Care Quality Commission records care homes which have closed as ‘deactivated’. The ‘deactivated’ locations exclude care homes where the provider continues to operate under a new, separate registration; this could be due to a legal entity change or a change in the provider.

Pharmacy: Closures

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has consulted with the National Pharmacy Association on the declining number of high street pharmacies in the last 12 months.

Neil O'Brien: The Department regularly engages with a variety of stakeholders and representatives from the pharmacy sector, including the National Pharmacy Association.

Cancer: Health Services

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 10 Year Cancer Plan will include targeted action to improve outcomes for the less survivable cancers including cancers of the brain, stomach, lungs, pancreas, oesophagus and liver.

Helen Whately: Following the call for evidence for a 10 year cancer plan earlier this year, we received more than 5,000 submissions. We are currently reviewing these responses.

Employment: Coronavirus

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help protect employees from covid-19 infection in the workplace.

Neil O'Brien: In April 2022, the Government published guidance for the public and for employers reducing the risk of catching and spreading respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19, reducing the risk to others and guidance for those with symptoms of a respiratory illness. The guidance for employers sets out principles for reducing the spread of respiratory infections in the workplace, including COVID-19. There is also specific guidance for high risk settings, such as adult social care and prisons.

Mental Health Services: Disadvantaged

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration the Government has given to replacing the use of the term hard-to-reach in official documents with a term less likely to perpetuate stigma.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Life Expectancy: Sunderland Central

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Sunderland Central constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Disease Control

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a long-term strategy on preparing the UK for future pandemics.

Neil O'Brien: The Department continues to plan and prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios, including those caused by respiratory, contact and vector-borne pathogens and informed by lessons learned from exercises and incidents, including the COVID-19 pandemic.The health and social care sector has well-tested plans in place to respond to pandemics. Pandemic preparedness is kept under constant review and evolves in response to new scientific information, lessons learned from prior pandemics, responses to other infectious disease outbreaks and testing of response mechanisms.

UK Health Security Agency: Vaccine Taskforce

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of moving the Vaccine Taskforce into the UK Health Security Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: On 1 October 2022, the core functions of the Vaccine Taskforce (VTF) merged with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Office for Life Sciences. The VTF’s vaccine supply responsibilities have moved to the UKHSA to establish a permanent function and staff have transferred to form a new directorate. This allows for the retention of the VTF’s innovative approaches, skills and operating models.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Health Professions

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care what steps his Department is taking to recruit sexual health doctors and nurses.

Neil O'Brien: We are considering actions to ensure that the sexual health workforce has the capacity required to meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of the population in multiple settings. Further information will be available in due course.

Pharmacy: Digital Technology

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of digital technology in the pharmacy sector including (a) automated dispensing technology and (b) interoperability between GP and pharmacy systems.

Neil O'Brien: Approximately 90% of prescriptions are submitted through the Electronic Prescription Service and all pharmacies have access to Summary Care Records, which is a summary of patient information created from general practitioner (GP) medical records. GP and pharmacy IT systems are integrating to support patient pathways, including the Community Pharmacists Consultation Service, where GPs can refer patients with a minor illness to a community pharmacist. Pharmacies are also receiving access to the full patient record and actions taken by community pharmacy will be recorded. Individual pharmacy contractors make decisions on the adoption of automated dispensing technology.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the NHS was made aware of the findings disclosed in July 2021 by the US Food and Drugs Administration of a potential increase in four types of serious adverse events in elderly people who had had the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine; and what action the NHS took as a result.

Neil O'Brien: Following its initial findings in June 2021, the FDA issued a subsequent statement confirming that after detailed analysis, these events were not found to occur more frequently in the elderly people who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Life Expectancy: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Exeter constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Life Expectancy: Worsley and Eccles South

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies on trends in the level of life expectancy in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Walsall South constituency.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Streatham constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Life Expectancy: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Walsall South.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Life Expectancy: Edmonton

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Edmonton constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Life Expectancy: Nottingham South

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Nottingham South constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Life Expectancy: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Garston and Halewood constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Life Expectancy: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent trends in the level of life expectancy in Slough constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help increase the number of appointments available at clinics for people wanting to access PrEP.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help reduce the waiting time for an appointment to access PrEP.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help increase the number of women accessing PrEP.

Neil O'Brien: Through the implementation of the HIV Action Plan, we are considering how access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be improved, including the use of alternative settings to address access for specific groups, such as women. We have invested £33 million to deploy PrEP in sexual health services in the last two years and it is commissioned as a routine service through the Public Health Grant.Local authorities are responsible for commissioning comprehensive sexual health services to meet the needs of the local population, including the provision of PrEP and for monitoring and taking action, if required, to reduce waiting times. The UK Health Security Agency collects data on access to sexual health services, including access to PrEP, which is available to local authorities to inform service commissioning and improvements.

Mental Health Services: Sefton Central

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Sefton Central constituency.

Maria Caulfield: In September we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health services, including in Sefton Central. Ensuring easier access to general practice will expand this route to access mental health services.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand NHS mental health services in England, including in Sefton Central. We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness by 2023/24.

Ophthalmic Services: Databases

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve data collection in NHS ophthalmology services.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a single minister for eye care on (a) service integration and (b) continuity of care.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England has appointed a National Clinical Director for eye care to oversee the recovery and longer-term transformation of eye care services. Through this programme, NHS England is reviewing which services can be moved safely into the community, supported by secondary care specialists utilising digital technology. The transformation programme will also consider how ophthalmology data is collected and used to inform the future planning of services.

General Practitioners: Greater London

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funds have been allocated to North East London Integrated Care System to support GP retention for (a) 2021/22, and (b) 2022/23.

Neil O'Brien: In 2021/22, North East London Integrated Care System (ICS) was allocated £460,000 for programmes which included the introduction of mid-career fellowships, the development of peer support groups for general practitioners (GPs) at different career stages and increasing participation through primary care mentorship and work experience. North East London ICS has also been allocated £460,000 in 2022/23, which will be invested in existing and new projects.

Medical Records: Data Protection

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take to support NHS GP surgeries with the extra workload associated with the forthcoming rollout of expanded patient access to medical records.

Neil O'Brien: Since 2019, it has been a contractual requirement for general practitioner (GP) practices to offer all patients access to their record. Following recommendations published by the Royal College of General Practitioners, NHS England provided GP practices with a four-month notice period prior to the planned deployment of automatic online access to prospective records for patients registered with practices using TPP and EMIS information technology systems.NHS England has hosted webinars for practice staff to prepare for this change, published guidance and a checklist detailing policies and processes which require updating.

Maternity Services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust Independent Review

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress relevant authorities have made on the implementation of the immediate and essential actions from the Ockenden Review into maternity services (a) at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust and (b) nationally.

Maria Caulfield: On 1 April 2022, NHS England wrote to all NHS Trust and Foundation Trust senior leaders, Integrated Care System Leads and Chairs, Local Maternity and Neonatal System Leads and Clinical Commissioning Group’s Accountability Officers. The letter highlights the 15 Immediate and Essential Actions for all maternity providers outlined in the Ockenden Report and asked all trusts to review the final report in their next public board and take any urgent action required to mitigate any risks identified and develop robust plans against areas where services need to make changes.The Department of Health and Social Care, alongside the NHS, have set up a working group chaired by the Royal College of Midwifery and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, to help guide the implementation and next steps of the Immediate and Essential Actions of the Ockenden Report and the East Kent report. The working group have met twice.NHS England will consider actions from both the Ockenden and East Kent reports and will map a coherent delivery plan for maternity.Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust remains on the Maternity Safety Support Programme. The Trust is making good progress and continues to be supported by a full-time dedicated Maternity Improvement Adviser to help it.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Dr James Davies: The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts. Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayments of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Tourism: Northern Ireland and Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the steps he is taking to increase tourism links between Wales and Northern Ireland.

David T C Davies: Tourism is devolved in Wales, however the UK Government, through Visit Britain, works with Visit Wales and the other devolved nations’ tourist boards to grow domestic tourism across the UK, including between Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition, UK Government engages with the devolved administrations through the Devolved Administrations' Inter-ministerial Group for Tourism.

Department for Education

Educational Psychology: Pay

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of pay for educational psychologists in the context of the cost of living crisis.

Claire Coutinho: I refer the hon. Member for Slough to the answer the former Minister for Schools and Childhood, Kelly Tolhurst, gave on 21 September 2022 to Question 45529.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish a response to the Early Years funding formulae consultation issued on 4 July 2022.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it remains her policy to invest an additional £10 million into maintained nursery school supplementary funding from 2023-24, as set out in the Early Years funding formulae consultation document issued on 4 July 2022.

Claire Coutinho: The department recognises that Maintained Nursery Schools make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children, which is why we have announced we will be investing an additional £10 million into Maintained Nursery School supplementary funding from the 2023/24 financial year. Over the course of summer 2022, the department consulted on proposals to update the early years funding formulae to ensure the funding system remains fair, effective and responsive to changing levels of need across different areas. The department will set out our response in due course.

Childcare: Erewash

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of income parents of children (a) under five and (b) aged five to 11 are spending on average each year on childcare, including holiday clubs, in Erewash constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of income parents of children (a) under five and (b) aged five to 11 are spending on average each year on childcare, including holiday clubs, in Shipley constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of income parents of children (a) under five and (b) aged five to 11 are spending on average each year on childcare, including holiday clubs, in Bassetlaw constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of income parents of children (a) under five and (b) aged five to 11 are spending on average each year on childcare, including holiday clubs, in Southampton Itchen constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of income parents of children (a) under five and (b) aged five to 11 are spending on average each year on childcare, including holiday clubs, in West Lancashire constituency.

Claire Coutinho: The department does not hold the requested data. However, the most recent Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents provides some data on parental spend on childcare. The results of this survey can be found here: https://www.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents/2021.The survey shows the average cost of childcare per week for parents of 0 to 14-year-olds by region. It also shows the cost by day for school-aged children during holiday periods. This data is not available at local authority or constituency level.The department recognises that childcare is a key concern for parents. We are committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We continue to look at ways to make childcare more affordable, and to encourage families to use the government-funded support they are entitled to.The department has spent over £3.5 billion in each of the past three years on early education entitlements and continues to support families with the cost of childcare through Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit.At the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, the department also announced it is investing over £200 million a year in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides enriching activities and healthy meals for disadvantaged children during school holidays.In July 2022, the department announced further measures to increase take-up of childcare support and reduce the costs and bureaucracy facing providers. This included a new £1.2 million campaign via the Childcare Choices website to ensure every parent knows about the government-funded support they are eligible for. This can be accessed at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Training

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish a breakdown of all traineeships delivered in England by region in the last 12 months.

Robert Halfon: The table below contains traineeship starts in England, broken down by region for the 2020/21 full academic year and reported to date for the 2021/22 academic year, August 2021 to April 2022.Further information on traineeship starts can be found in the Apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.RegionTraineeship starts2020/21 full year2021/22 (Aug to Apr, reported to date)East Midlands780780East of England1,200850London5,0703,220North East880620North West2,7602,650South East1,6601,010South West1,070760West Midlands2,2401,750Yorkshire and The Humber1,6701,450Outside of England and unknown7080Total17,39013,170Note:(1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.(2) 2021/22, August to April, figures are from in-year data returns and are provisional. Full final year headline data for 2021/22 will be published on 24 November 2022 in the Apprenticeships and traineeships: November 2022 statistics publication.(3) Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England or not known it is included in the 'Outside of England and unknown' category.(4) Geographies are taken from the National Statistics Postcode Lookup based on boundaries as of May 2021.(5) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record.

Education: Internet

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support online courses that can lead to recognised qualifications.

Robert Halfon: A range of online provision leading to qualifications is available to learners.The adult education budget (AEB) fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support them to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship, or further learning. Providers decide upon the mode of delivery for AEB-funded courses to best meet learners’ needs. This can include online delivery.The free courses for jobs offer gives eligible adults the chance to access high-value level 3 qualifications for free. This offer includes qualifications available to study online. Learners can contact their local college or provider for further information about online delivery.Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion. Many Skills Bootcamps are delivered online.The department launched the Skills Toolkit in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an online platform providing free digital and numeracy courses to help individuals build the skills that are most sought after by employers, and it can help individuals progress in work and boost their job prospects.

National Skills Fund: Leicestershire

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Skills Fund on progress towards upskilling the adult workforce; and what steps his Department is taking to use the Skills Fund to help support more adults to achieve higher level qualifications in (a) Leicestershire and (b) Bosworth constituency.

Robert Halfon: Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion. Skills Bootcamps have the potential to transform the skills landscape for adults and employers.In December 2021, the department published outcome data on the Skills Bootcamps trailblazers, training delivered across six areas of the country between September 2020 and 31 March 2021 (Wave 1). Over 2000 learners completed Skills Bootcamps training, with 54% of adults completing training going on to secure a new job or apprenticeship or for those that are self-employed, access to new opportunities. In addition to these recorded outcomes, published research for Wave 1 of Skills Bootcamps suggests that three quarters of learners felt the training met or was meeting their needs, and 79% were satisfied with their course overall.The department is on track to deliver 16,000 Skills Bootcamps training places in the 2021/22 financial year as planned and will continue to significantly expand Skills Bootcamps over the next 3 years, following the announcement at the 2021 Autumn Budget Spending Review of up to £550 million of funding across the 2022 to 2025 financial years. The evaluation of 2021/22 delivery, which will provide detail on learner starts, completions and outcomes will be available next year, with the evaluation of 2022/23 delivery available at a later date.Skills Bootcamps are currently available across the country, offering training in digital, technical, including engineering and manufacturing, construction, logistics (HGV driving), and green skills, including heat pump engineer and electric vehicle charging point installation.In Leicester, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership are delivering some digital Skills Bootcamps through De Montfort University, working with Leicester employers who have vacancies in Leicester City Council, Test Q and NHS Leicester. More information about this can be accessed at: https://d2n2lep.org/people-skills/skills-bootcamps/.The Free Courses for Jobs offer, which was launched in England in April 2021, gives eligible adults the chance to access high-value level 3 qualification for free. Eligible learners in Leicestershire and Bosworth, aged 19 and over, can take advantage of the offer. Adults without a full level 3 qualification are eligible. From April 2022 the offer has also been available to unemployed adults or those earning under the National Living Wage annually, regardless of their prior qualification level. Over 400 qualifications are included, in areas such as engineering, social care and accounting, alongside many others that have been identified for their strong wage outcomes and ability to meet key skills needs.A recent evaluation of Free Courses for Jobs shows that it has increased uptake of these key qualifications, meaning more adults are making the most of this opportunity to boost their skills free of charge. 9 in 10 people surveyed say they believe their Free Courses for Jobs-funded qualification will help them progress in their careers. The data points to over 20,000 people having enrolled on the courses between the offer’s launch in April 2021 and May 2022.Adults can also be supported to access qualifications not included in the Free Courses for Jobs offer, for example through Advanced Learner Loans. Advanced Learner Loans are income-contingent loans that provide extensive coverage of regulated qualifications at level 3 to level 6, helping to meet the up-front tuition fees.

Office for Students: Recruitment

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Office for Students on recruiting additional staff for that office to meet current workloads.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the number of staff at the Office for Students is proportionate to the needs of the regulator to regulate the higher education sector.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to findings in the Impact Assessment on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, what estimate she has made of the potential need for additional numbers of staff required at the Office for Students to perform their duties in that Bill.

Robert Halfon: The number of staff employed at the Office for Students (OfS) is a matter for the OfS and is not determined by the Secretary of State. Likewise, the recruitment of any additional staff at the OfS is a matter for the OfS. If the OfS determines that it needs additional staff to fulfil its workload, it can seek to recruit the staff that it requires. This includes any additional resource required to accommodate any new duties required by the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill.The department works closely with the OfS to ensure that its responsibilities are fulfilled effectively, and that the world-class standards of our higher education institutions are maintained.

Children's Centres and Family Hubs: City of Chester

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the City of Chester constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Claire Coutinho: Based on the information supplied by local authorities, as of 27 October 2022, one Sure Start children’s centre has closed in the City of Chester constituency since 2010. The number of children’s centre closures is based on information supplied by local authorities as of 27 October 2022. These figures may differ from the number of closures reported locally and may change again, as local authorities may update their data at any time.In October 2021, as part of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, the government announced £301.75 million to transform Start for Life and Family Hub services in 75 upper-tier local authorities across England. The 75 eligible local authorities were announced on 2 April 2022. These were selected based on levels of disadvantage, targeting the areas with the highest levels of deprivation and disproportionately poor health and educational outcomes.The City of Chester constituency is not eligible to receive funding through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.The government would like to see Family Hubs across the country, but it is crucial that we now focus on delivering well in these 75 local authorities and building the evidence base.

Childcare: Costs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help ensure that parents who work nights do not pay more for their childcare because of their work patterns.

Claire Coutinho: The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare and we have spent more than £20 billion over the past five years to support families with the cost of childcare. Government funding schemes are designed to be flexible enough to support families’ different situations.To increase choice and flexibility for families even further, the department announced plans to grow the number of childminders. To help parents with the cost of living, we are running a campaign to ensure that parents are aware and accessing all government funded childcare support they are eligible for, and to encourage more eligible providers to register with Ofsted to give parents more choices about where they can use their government funding.Improving parents’ access to affordable and flexible childcare is important for the department, and we want to make our current suite of offers work as effectively as possible and ensure it delivers for those parents who need it.

Childcare

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will discuss with cabinet colleagues the introduction of a universal childcare offer to enable all children to access care provision.

Claire Coutinho: The department remains committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare, and the government has spent more than £20 billion over the past five years to support families with the cost of childcare.All parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all three and four-year olds, regardless of family circumstances.Working parents of three and four-year-olds may also be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare if they earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at national minimum or living wage, and under £100,000 per year.Parents who meet the income criteria may also be able to receive support from Tax-Free Childcare, which can be worth up to £2,000 per year for children aged 0-11, or up to £4,000 per year for disabled children aged 0-16.Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be accessed here: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

Young Offenders: Housing

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2022 to Question 67210 on Young Offenders: Housing, how the funding made available in the 2021 Spending Review was allocated by region.

Claire Coutinho: The Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 announced £259 million of funding to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open residential children’s homes.Following this, the department launched two waves of bidding rounds for local authorities to submit applications for this funding for both open and secure children’s homes. The department has allocated £112 million of this funding to local authorities throughout England and we are working with them to deliver projects by March 2025. Of this, £17 million has been allocated to open children home projects and £95 million to secure children’s home projects. This includes plans to build two new secure children’s homes in London and the West Midlands, and the rebuild and expansion of an existing home in Lincolnshire. These areas are currently lacking in provision for children and were priorities for this funding round.The remaining funding will be allocated to open and secure children’s homes projects this financial year. The department is unable to set out regional awards until all clearances are in place. When all funding has been agreed, and successful local authorities have been notified, the department will share final award details, including regional funding allocations.

Childcare: Costs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle increases in (a) nursery and (b) child minding costs.

Claire Coutinho: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We continue to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use government-funded support they are entitled to.The department has spent over £3.5 billion in each of the past three years on early education entitlements and continues to support families with the cost of childcare through Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit.At the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, the department also announced additional funding of £160 million in 2022/23, £180 million in 2023/24, and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year, for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers.In July 2022, the department announced measures to increase take-up of childcare support and to reduce the costs and bureaucracy facing providers. These plans aim to give providers more flexibility and autonomy, and attract more people to childminding, while encouraging the growth of childminder agencies, enabling greater access to this flexible affordable form of care.The department also has a campaign underway via the Childcare Choices website to ensure that every parent knows about the government-funded support they are eligible for to save money on their childcare bills. Childcare Choices is accessible at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.The department recognises the impact rising prices are having on many households, businesses, including early years sectors. On 21 September, the Business Secretary announced support through the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bill Relief scheme to support millions of households and businesses with their energy costs over the winter. HM Treasury is reviewing who will be eligible for further support with energy bills after April 2023.

Commonwealth: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to include the Commonwealth as part of the curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The Commonwealth is covered within the citizenship curriculum, which all schools are encouraged to teach as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. Citizenship forms a core part of the statutory National Curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 and includes content on the UK’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth and the wider world. Primary schools can choose to teach citizenship at Key Stages 1 and 2, following the non-statutory framework for citizenship, which includes opportunities for pupils to discuss topics of school, local, national, European, Commonwealth and global concern.There is also scope within history programmes of study for pupils to be taught about the Commonwealth. In Key Stage 3, pupils are taught about British history from 1745 to 1901, and this can include teaching about the end of the British Empire and Britain’s place in the world since 1945.As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and background of their pupils.

Pupils: Travel

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will provide additional support to students from low-income families to help pay for journeys to and from their (a) school and (b) other place of education in the 2022-23 academic year, in the context of the rise in inflation.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s home-to-school transport policy aims to ensure that no child is unable to access education because of a lack of transport. Local authorities must provide free home-to-school transport for children of compulsory school age who attend their nearest school and cannot walk there due to distance, route safety, or as a result of special educational needs, disability or mobility problems. There are additional rights to free transport for low-income families aimed at helping them exercise school choice. These are known as extended rights. Guidance for local authorities on home-to-school transport is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance. Local authorities must also publish a transport policy statement each year that sets out the travel arrangements they consider it necessary to make to support young people of sixth form age to attend post-16 education or training. It is for local authorities to decide on the exact level of post-16 transport support in their area, based on local circumstances and priorities. Some young people may be eligible for support from the 16-19 Bursary Fund. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/1619-bursary-fund. Most central government funding for home to school transport is provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) administered by the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities. The LGFS made £54.1 billion available to local authorities in the financial year 2022/23, an increase of up to £3.7 billion on 2021/22. This is the largest cash-terms increase in grant funding provided through the settlement in the past 10 years. The Department also provides grant funding to local authorities as a contribution towards the cost of extended rights transport. This amount is £43.3 million in the 2022/23 financial year.

Schools: Special Educational Needs

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of school places available for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Claire Coutinho: The department is investing £2.6 billion between 2022 and 2025 to support local authorities to deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), or who require alternative provision (AP). This represents a significant, transformational investment in new high needs provision. It will support local authorities to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings, and will also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings, more than tripling previous levels of investment.In March 2022, as part of this commitment, the department announced High Needs Provision Capital Allocations amounting to over £1.4 billion of new investment, focused on the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. In June 2022, the department also announced that we will build up to 60 new centrally delivered special and AP free schools.This funding comes on top of the investment of £300 million in 2021/22, and the department’s ongoing investment in new special and AP special schools. As of 1 October 2022, there are 90 open special free schools and 50 open AP free schools, with a further 48 special and 7 AP free schools due to open in the future.This investment is alongside the increase in high needs revenue funding for children and young people with complex needs. This is rising by £1 billion in the 2022/23 financial year, an increase of 13%, which brings total high needs funding to £9.1 billion. In addition, the department is continuing to work with local authorities with the highest dedicated schools grant deficits as part of the safety valve programme and the introduction of the Delivering Better Value programme.Alongside our continued investment in high needs, the department remains committed to ensuring a financially sustainable system, where resources are effectively targeted to need. The consultation on the SEND and AP Green Paper closed on 22 July, and the department will confirm the next steps in implementing our reform programme in due course.

Children in Care: Death

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in care aged 16 and 17 died while they were living in (a) semi-independent or (b) independent accommodation between April 2021 and March 2022.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in care aged 16 and 17 went missing while they were living in (a) semi-independent or (b) independent accommodation between April 2021 and March 2022.

Claire Coutinho: Information for the reporting year 2021/22 will not be available until later this month. This can be requested following the publication of the department’s statistical release, ‘Children looked after in England (including adoptions): 2022.’The department firmly believes that every child in the care system deserves to live in a high-quality home that meets their needs and keeps them safe. Some children aged 16 and 17 live in independent and semi-independent settings, which are not currently subject to Ofsted registration and inspection.The department is clear that semi-independent provision, or supported accommodation, can be the right option for some older children, where this accommodation is high-quality, meets these children’s needs, and keeps them safe. However, the department understands that this provision is not consistently good enough. That is why the government is investing over £142 million across the next three years to fund the introduction of new mandatory national standards, Ofsted registration, and inspection for providers of supported accommodation.Following ongoing reforms, all placements accommodating looked-after children and care leavers up to age 18 will be regulated by Ofsted. Regulation will ensure that local authorities can be confident when making placements in this provision, enable Ofsted to take action against poor providers and ensure children live in safe and high-quality accommodation that meet their needs.Further information on the government’s plans to reform this vital area is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transformational-investment-in-childrens-social-care-placements.

Teachers: Ukraine

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department will take to support people in the UK with teaching qualifications earned in Ukraine to teach in UK schools.

Nick Gibb: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Ukrainians can teach without Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for an unlimited period in an academy or a free school, or for up to four years in a maintained school. They can then consider gaining QTS through the Assessment Only route whilst working in this way.Ukrainians are also able to apply for Initial Teacher Training in England. If they have been granted leave under the Ukraine Family Scheme visa, the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, or the Ukraine Extension Scheme, and have been a resident in the UK, they will be treated the same as a UK resident for higher education funding, including for Initial Teacher Training. More guidance for Ukrainian nationals on becoming a teacher in England is available on the Get into Teaching website, which can be found here: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/non-uk-teachers/ukraine.In early 2023 the Department will open a new route for teachers who trained in a broader range of countries, including Ukraine, to apply to the Teaching Regulation Agency for QTS in England, providing they meet certain criteria. This will provide Ukrainians who meet the relevant criteria to gain QTS by recognition of their existing teaching qualification, making it more straightforward to teach in all types of school in England. More information on this can be found at: http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualified-teacher-status-to-overseas-teachers/a-fairer-approach-to-awarding-qts-to-overseas-teachers.

Ministry of Justice

High Court

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total cost was of High Court hearings in each of the last three years; and how many hearings took place in each of those years.

Mike Freer: The total cost to HM Courts & Tribunals Service for the administration of High Court for the last three financial years was:Financial Years2019-202020-212021-22Total Cost54.2M53.7M47.7MTotal Cost includes both direct costs and overheads (those costs such as estate, provision of information & technology services and human resources). The total number of hearings that took place in the High Court for the last 3 calendar years was:Calendar Years201920202021Total Hearings21,58917,64514,357

Ministry of Justice: Art Works

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on art work in each of the last five years.

Mike Freer: The question cannot be answered within cost, the MoJ does not hold central financial records in relation to artwork.

Domestic Abuse: Homicide

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to point 5 on Timing in the Domestic Homicide Sentencing Review: Terms of Reference, published on 2 November 2021, when he plans to publish (a) the review and (b) his Department's response to it.

Edward Argar: Last year the government commissioned an independent expert, Clare Wade KC, to undertake a review of domestic homicide sentencing. The Terms of Reference stated that the review would be submitted to the Secretary of State for Justice by the end of 2021 and that we would then consider the review and its recommendations before determining whether further consultation is needed or publishing the report.The independent reviewer required more time than anticipated to complete the review and it was delivered to the department in June this year. The Review examines a number of important and complex issues. Therefore prior to publication of the review and response, the government is carefully considering its recommendations and next steps.This government is fully committed to ensuring that the sentencing framework responds appropriately to cases of domestic homicide and that sentences reflect the severity of these crimes.

Landlords: Repossession Orders

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will make an estimate of the median time it took for a landlord to repossess a property in the residential sector in the last 12 months.

Mike Freer: Landlord possession timeliness statistics are published here - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-april-to-june-2022/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-april-to-june-2022#landlord-possession-timeliness3.Timeliness for landlord possession continues to improve. By Q2 2022, claim to possession order median timeliness had improved to 9.9 weeks from 21.7 weeks at the same point 12 months prior, claim to possession warrant median timeliness improved from 31.6 weeks to 15.9 weeks and claims to repossession median timeliness improved from 60.1 weeks is 23.4 weeks in the same time period.

Trials: Morley and Outwood

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who reside in Morley and Outwood constituency are awaiting trial.

Mike Freer: The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts and our decisive action kept justice moving during the pandemic. Now that barristers have returned to work, we can work together to drive down the backlog and ensure victims see justice served sooner.The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of outstanding cases at the magistrates’ court by Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) area in the Magistrates rdos tool and for outstanding cases at the Crown Court by LCJB area and Crown Court in the Crown Court rdos tool.The data that is collated centrally does not include the addresses of individual defendants. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.

Ministry of Justice: Catering

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much money his Department has spent on catering at functions in the last five years.

Mike Freer: This cannot be answered within cost. The MoJ does not hold central financial records in relation to catering spend at functions.

Human Rights: Reform

Amy Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Government’s response to e-petition 607712 on Do not reform the Human Rights Act, what steps the Government is taking to safeguard human rights in the UK.

Mike Freer: The UK is committed to protecting and respecting human rights. We have a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. We have strong human rights protections within a comprehensive and well-established constitutional and legal system.This Government was elected with a manifesto commitment to ‘update the Human Rights Act... to ensure there is a proper balance between the rights of individuals, our vital national security and effective government’. The Government stands by this commitment.

Ministry of Justice: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Mike Freer: The provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in Ministry of Justice’s annual reports and accounts.Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Probate: Applications

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the backlog of probate applications.

Mike Freer: Despite the unprecedented challenges faced by the probate service during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the increased volume of applications that have been seen since, the average length of time taken for a grant of probate following receipt of the documents required has been maintained at between five and seven weeks.HMCTS has increased resources to meet the higher demand and is further increasing resourcing to reduce outstanding caseload back to pre-Covid levels and further bring down overall timeliness on digital and paper applications.The improvement of the online probate system remains a priority for HMCTS, to ensure more applications can be issued first time and resources can be focused on reducing waiting times.

Ministry of Justice: Heating and Lighting

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on heating and lighting in each of the last four years.

Mike Freer: The department does not hold information specifically on the cost of heating and lighting. However, details of the Ministry of Justice’s direct gas and electricity costs for the relevant years have been provided in the table below. These figures include costs for operational sites such as prisons and courts as well as departmental headquarters. 2018-192019-202020-212021-22 £000£000£000£000Electricity69,66075,77567,35173,123Gas30,76334,22934,23936,340

Department for International Trade

Solent Freeport

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Solent Freeport conversion into an Investment Area on international trade opportunities in the region, including for the Isle of Wight.

Andrew Bowie: The Government is committed to levelling up areas across the country. UK Freeports, like Solent, are fantastic places for businesses to grow, innovate and collaborate. They are capitalising on Freeport tax, customs, and planning benefits, and the region’s clean energy and maritime opportunities, to develop as national hubs for trade and global investment. These benefits remain unchanged by Investment Zones.While the Government is still considering our approach to Investment Zones, we are grateful for the Expressions of Interest submitted, which officials are assessing. The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will confirm next steps in due course.

TRIPS Agreement: Coronavirus

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of extending the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to cover covid-19 therapeutics and diagnostic tests on global access to covid-19 vaccinations and treatments.

Nigel Huddleston: I refer the Hon. Member for Streatham to the answer given by my Rt Hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade Policy to the Hon. Member for Harrow West on 17 October 2022, UIN: 61708.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

LGBT+ People: British Overseas Territories

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with LGBT activists and organisations from the (a) Cayman Islands and (b) Bermuda where the right to marriage for same-sex couples is refused by their respective Governments; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The inhabited British Overseas Territories are separate, largely self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected representatives. The relationship with the Overseas Territories is based on partnership. Policy on marriage law is an area of devolved responsibility.The majority of Overseas Territories have legal recognition and protection for same sex relationships, either through marriage or through civil partnerships as is the case in Bermuda. In 2020 the Governor of the Cayman Islands enacted civil partnership legislation to recognise same-sex partnerships in order to comply with the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. The UK Government continue to engage with and encourage remaining Territories that have not put in place arrangements to recognise and protect same sex relationships, to do so.The UK Government remains open to further engagement with LGBT+ activists and organisations across the Overseas Territories to support increased recognition and protections for same-sex relationships in the Overseas Territories.

Bermuda and Cayman Islands: Marriage

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with LGBT activists and organisations from the (a) Cayman Islands and (b) Bermuda where the right to marriage for same-sex couples is refused by their respective Governments.

David Rutley: The inhabited British Overseas Territories are separate, largely self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected representatives. The relationship with the Overseas Territories is based on partnership. Policy on marriage law is an area of devolved responsibility.The majority of Overseas Territories have legal recognition and protection for same sex relationships, either through marriage or through civil partnerships as is the case in Bermuda. In 2020 the Governor of the Cayman Islands enacted civil partnership legislation to recognise same-sex partnerships in order to comply with the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. The UK Government continues to engage with and encourage remaining Territories that have not put in place arrangements to recognise and protect same sex relationships, to do so.The UK Government remains open to further engagement with LGBT+ activists and organisations across the Overseas Territories to support increased recognition and protections for same-sex relationships in the Overseas Territories.

Bermuda and Cayman Islands: Marriage

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with LGBT activists and organisations from the (a) Cayman Islands and (b) Bermuda where the right to marriage for same-sex couples is refused by their respective Governments.

David Rutley: The inhabited British Overseas Territories are separate, largely self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected representatives. The relationship with the Overseas Territories is based on partnership. Policy on marriage law is an area of devolved responsibility.The majority of Overseas Territories have legal recognition and protection for same sex relationships, either through marriage or through civil partnerships as is the case in Bermuda. In 2020 the Governor of the Cayman Islands enacted civil partnership legislation to recognise same-sex partnerships in order to comply with the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. The UK Government continues to engage with and encourage remaining Territories that have not put in place arrangements to recognise and protect same sex relationships, to do so.The UK Government remains open to further engagement with LGBT+ activists and organisations across the Overseas Territories to support increased recognition and protections for same-sex relationships in the Overseas Territories.

Bermuda and Cayman Islands: Marriage

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with LGBT activists and organisations from the (a) Cayman Islands and (b) Bermuda where the right to marriage for same-sex couples is refused by their respective Governments.

David Rutley: The inhabited British Overseas Territories are separate, largely self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected representatives. The relationship with the Overseas Territories is based on partnership. Policy on marriage law is an area of devolved responsibility.The majority of Overseas Territories have legal recognition and protection for same sex relationships, either through marriage or through civil partnerships as is the case in Bermuda. In 2020 the Governor of the Cayman Islands enacted civil partnership legislation to recognise same-sex partnerships in order to comply with the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. The UK Government continues to engage with and encourage remaining Territories that have not put in place arrangements to recognise and protect same sex relationships, to do so.The UK Government remains open to further engagement with LGBT+ activists and organisations across the Overseas Territories to support increased recognition and protections for same-sex relationships in the Overseas Territories.

Bermuda and Cayman Islands: Marriage

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with LGBT activists and organisations from the (a) Cayman Islands and (b) Bermuda where the right to marriage for same-sex couples is refused by their respective Governments; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The inhabited British Overseas Territories are separate, largely self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected representatives. The relationship with the Overseas Territories is based on partnership. Policy on marriage law is an area of devolved responsibility.The majority of Overseas Territories have legal recognition and protection for same sex relationships, either through marriage or through civil partnerships as is the case in Bermuda. In 2020 the Governor of the Cayman Islands enacted civil partnership legislation to recognise same-sex partnerships in order to comply with the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. The UK Government continues to engage with and encourage remaining Territories that have not put in place arrangements to recognise and protect same sex relationships, to do so.The UK Government remains open to further engagement with LGBT+ activists and organisations across the Overseas Territories to support increased recognition and protections for same-sex relationships in the Overseas Territories.

Libya: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support peace and stability in Libya.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to supporting the UN-facilitated, Libyan-led and owned political process to secure peace, stability and prosperity in Libya. This includes efforts to unblock the executive impasse and agree a pathway to elections. In October, the UK-drafted UN Security Council resolution secured a substantive 12-month renewal of the UN Support Mission in Libya, giving new Special Representative to the Secretary-General Abdoulaye Bathily the support needed to reinvigorate the political process. In October, we hosted representatives from Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and the US to discuss supporting UN efforts to get Libya back on a credible electoral footing.

Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to put pressure on the Egyptian Government to lift the travel bans and asset freezes on (a) Karim Ennarah and (b) other staff of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal rights.

David Rutley: Egypt is a human rights priority country. We regularly raise human rights issues with the Egyptian authorities, including the case of Karim Ennarah. The previous FCDO Minister for Africa, [Gillian Keegan], met with Mr Ennarah and also spoke to Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry about the case, during her visit to Cairo in October. We have also specifically raised the issue of travel bans, asset freezes and the importance of civil society in Egypt at the Human Rights Council in March and October 2022.

Mahsa Amini

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and the excessive use of force by security forces against those protesting her death.

David Rutley: The death of Mahsa Amini is a shocking reminder of the repression faced by women in Iran. Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK was summoned to the FCDO on 3 October. The UK again reiterated to him our condemnation of Iran's action on 26 October, in a meeting with the Minister for the Middle East Lord (Tariq) Ahmad. On 10 September, the UK announced sanctions on the Morality Police and two of its leaders. The UK also imposed sanctions on five other leading political and security officials for serious human rights violations. Sanctions demonstrate clearly to the Iranian authorities, that the UK will hold it to account for repression of women and girls and the violence inflicted on its people. We continue to raise human rights with the Iranian authorities at every opportunity.

Jordan: Refugees

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he made of the effectiveness of UK aid for refugee camps in the Kingdom of Jordan.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to working with Jordan to increase the self-reliance of refugees and vulnerable communities, moving towards aligning UK and international support with Jordanian systems, and towards greater inclusion of refugees in the economy which can also provide wider benefits for Jordan. Since 2016, the UK has allocated over £150 million in humanitarian support. This has supported 450,000 refugees receiving cash assistance to meet basic living costs and provided over 150,000 refugee children with access to formal education. With our support, the Jordanian government has enrolled 69% of all Syrian children in education - among the highest proportions in the region. The Minister for the Middle East [Lord Ahmad] discussed support to Syrian refugees with the Jordanian Ambassador on 20 October.

Alaa Abdel Fattah

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to call for the unconditional release of the British national Alaa Abd El-Fattah.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress he has made on securing the unconditional release of the British national Alaa Abd El-Fattah.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to call for the unconditional release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah at the upcoming COP27 meeting.

David Rutley: Since Mr El-Fattah's sentencing in December 2021 there have been numerous representations made by the UK Government concerning his imprisonment and welfare. These include, most recently, the Foreign Secretary raising his case with Foreign Minister Shoukry on 21 September, and former FCDO Minister for Africa raising the case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry during her visit to Cairo on 19 October 2022. We are continuing to seek consular access urgently and to call for his release at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abd El-Fattah. The Foreign Secretary spoke to his sisters, Mona and Sanaa Seif, on 2 November and the Minister for North Africa and the Middle East, met with them on 3 November.

Israel: Palestinians

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of children killed by Israeli forces using live ammunition in the West Bank in (a) October 2022 and (b) since 1 January 2022; and if he will make a statement.

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of incidents in which schools in the West Bank were raided during school hours by (a) Israeli forces and (b) Israeli settlers in 2022.

David Rutley: We regularly raise the issue of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities. We encourage them to carry out swift, transparent and thorough investigations and, if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account. We will continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.

Israel: Embassies

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on location of the British embassy in Israel of the recent decision of the Australian Government to reverse its decision to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

David Rutley: There are no plans to move the UK embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Israel is a close friend and key strategic partner, built on decades of cooperation. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with Israel through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Israel: Embassies

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the UK Embassy in Israel remaining in Tel Aviv.

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Israeli and Palestinian authorities on the potential move of the UK’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

David Rutley: There are no plans to move the UK embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Israel is a close friend and key strategic partner, built on decades of cooperation. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with Israel through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 17 October to Question 53318 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, under which entries in his Department’s transparency data the costs for the purchased football kits, other than those purchased from Norwich City FC, were registered from the start of financial year 2020/21 to the end of October 2022.

David Rutley: The published transparency entries for transactions over £500 which relate to this spend are set out below. These figures do not reflect subsequent refunds as a result of stock unavailability.FCOGPC2020120238FCOGPC2020120212FCOGPC2020120262FCOGPC2020120274FCOGPC2020120283FCOGPC2021031886FCOGPC2021070125FCOGPC2021081284FCOGPC2021101283FCOGPC2021111480FCOGPC2021121227FCOGPC2021121245FCOGPC2022010114FCOGPC2022010495FCOGPC2022010595FCOGPC2022010836FCOGPC2022021828FCOGPC2022021976FCOGPC2022032295

Bermuda and Cayman Islands: Marriage

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) LGBT activists and (b) other organisations from (i) the Cayman Islands and (ii) Bermuda on the right to marriage for same-sex couples in those countries.

David Rutley: The inhabited British Overseas Territories are separate, largely self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected representatives. The relationship with the Overseas Territories is based on partnership. Policy on marriage law is an area of devolved responsibility.The majority of Overseas Territories have legal recognition and protection for same sex relationships, either through marriage or through civil partnerships as is the case in Bermuda. In 2020 the Governor of the Cayman Islands enacted civil partnership legislation to recognise same-sex partnerships in order to comply with the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. The UK Government continues to engage with and encourage remaining Territories that have not put in place arrangements to recognise and protect same sex relationships, to do so.The UK Government remains open to further engagement with LGBT+ activists and organisations across the Overseas Territories to support increased recognition and protections for same-sex relationships in the Overseas Territories.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Consultants

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in 2021.

David Rutley: The FCDO spend on external recruitment consultants in 2021 was £88,354.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with counterparts in the Republic of the Maldives on that country's support for the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion of 25 February 2019 and the United Nations Generally Assembly Resolution 73/295 of 22 May 2019 regarding sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We have regular discussions with the Government of Maldives on a wide range of issues.

India: Accidents

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer on 28 October 2022 to Question 62153 on India: Accidents, whether any specific support has been provided to the (a) state government and (b) civil society partners to help improve (i) health, (ii) nutrition, (iii) basic urban services and (iv) rural livelihoods for victims of the Bhopal disaster.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Union Carbide provided a settlement of $470 million to the Indian Government following the Bhopal disaster to fund a clean up operation, compensation to the injured and the families of the deceased, and provide ongoing welfare support to those affected. The UK's Department for International Development (DfID) did not provide any additional funding or direct support. DfID has supported development in Madhya Pradesh since 1999. We worked with the State Government to assist 11,000 slum dwellers with access to clean water and 66,400 households in rural areas to increase their income across the state covering eight affected slums in Bhopal by the tragedy. The health support doubled the number of births in hospitals and clinics, increasing the chances of newborn survival across the state. Union Carbide and DfID programmes ended in 2013 and 2015, respectively. The FCDO has had no direct engagement with the State Government on the gas tragedy since 2015.

Commonwealth: Foreign Relations

Dame Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen relations with Commonwealth countries.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are committed to deepening our ties with all Commonwealth countries, including on trade. Since April last year, we have signed free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand and are negotiating further FTAs with India and Canada.We are also working with Commonwealth partners to deliver on the commitments made at CHOGM, including on climate, health and human rights.

Hong Kong: China

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on protecting Hongkongers living in the UK from potential intimidation by the Chinese Government.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK engages with international partners on a range of issues in relation to Hong Kong.We will not tolerate interference or intimidation in UK communities, including Hong Kong BN(O)s, from any foreign country.This government is committed in its unwavering support for Hong Kongers that choose to settle in the UK.

East Africa: Food Supply

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the food security situation in East Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Over 68 million people across the region need humanitarian aid of whom more than 51 million people face severe food insecurity including in Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Kenya and Uganda.The UK is committed to spending £156m on humanitarian aid in the region this financial year. UK funded humanitarian programmes are making a difference and saving lives.

Afghanistan: Judges

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Defence to support and resettle at-risk judges from Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: Under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, over 21,000 people have already been brought from Afghanistan to the UK, including judges and legal professionals. We continue to work with likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan to support safe passage for eligible Afghans.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Situation

Ellie Reeves: What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: At the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in May, the former Foreign Secretary discussed the current security, humanitarian and human rights situation with her counterparts. The FCDO also has regular conversations with humanitarian organisations working in Afghanistan, including most recently during Lord Ahmad's visit to Geneva in June where he met with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and representatives from the Red Cross.

Melilla: Immigration Controls

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Spanish counterparts on the role of Spanish border officials in the events which led to the death of people in Melilla on 24 June 2022.

Leo Docherty: Senior FCDO officials have spoken to the relevant authorities in Spain and Morocco regarding the events of Friday 24 June on the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla, during which many migrants died. We welcome the decision of both authorities to carry out investigations and follow up on the incident.

Armenia: Azerbaijan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with its counterpart in Armenia on recent Azerbaijani aggression.

Leo Docherty: I [Minister Docherty] spoke with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan on 15 September to express condolences for lives lost during hostilities along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border and to emphasise the renewed urgency of substantive negotiations to settle all outstanding matters between the parties. The United Kingdom will continue to work with both parties to the conflict in the coming months to support efforts to secure regional stability and security.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Georgian counterpart on the war in Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: The Foreign Secretary discussed Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine with former Georgian Foreign Minister Zalkaliani on 28 February. Former Prime Minister Truss met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili during the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in September and discussed the situation in Ukraine. On 27 July former Minister for Europe Graham Stuart met with Georgian First Deputy Defence Minister Lela Chikovani and discussed the war in Ukraine and UK support to Georgia.

Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2022 to Question 65960 on Development Aid, what is the focus of the impact assessments that (a) are ongoing and (b) have been completed.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The focus of impact assessments has been on assessing Official Development Assistance spend.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions have taken place between (a) officials and (b) Government ministers of the UK and Mauritius on sovereignty over the Chagos Islands (i) at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in June 2022, (ii) at the UN General Assembly meeting in September 2022 and (iii) on any occasions after those events.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Former Prime Minister Johnson and former Foreign Secretary Truss met their Mauritian counterparts at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in June. Former Prime Minister Truss held a constructive meeting with the Mauritius Prime Minister at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 77) in New York in September. These meetings included discussions on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago. UK and Mauritian officials engage regularly.The Foreign Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement (UIN HCWS354) of 3 November 2022 stated that the UK and Mauritius have decided to begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago.

Development Aid

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reasons his Department spends part of the foreign aid budget within the UK; and whether this has required reductions in spending on international schemes.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: All UK aid is spent in line with the international rules on what constitutes Official Development Assistance (ODA) as set by the OECD's Development Assistance Committee. Assistance to refugees is considered as humanitarian in nature and is provided with the aim of ensuring the dignity and human rights of beneficiary populations.

Development Aid

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total Official Development Assistance spend was in (a) each year since 2018-19 and (b) 2022-23 to date.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Official Development Assistance (ODA) is measured on a calendar year basis. Provisional ODA figures are published annually in spring, with final figures in autumn. Final data for 2021 will be published on 23 November 2022.Final UK ODA spend from 2018-2020 is available in Table A1 of Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021091/Table-A1.odsProvisional UK ODA spend for 2021 is available in Table 1 of Statistics on International Development: Provisional UK Aid Spend 2021:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1068246/prov-SID-21-Table1.ods

Climate Change: Poverty

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of climate change on global poverty levels among children and young people.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: People in developing, lower-income, fragile and conflict affected states are disproportionately affected by climate change, especially those in marginalised groups such as women, people with disabilities and young people. The UK is committed to delivering an inclusive approach to climate and nature action. During our Presidency of COP26, countries agreed to a new Work Programme on Action for Climate Empowerment, promoting youth engagement and education. Through our International Climate Finance programming, we have directly helped 95,000,000 people to adapt to climate change since 2011, including children and young people. The UK will continue to support countries as they put climate risk at the centre of decision making.

Development Aid

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Official Development Assistance spend was, by department, in each of the last five years.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Official Development Assistance (ODA) is measured on a calendar year basis. Provisional ODA figures are published annually in spring, with final figures in autumn. Final data for 2021 will be published on 23 November 2022.Final UK ODA spend by Government Department from 2017-2020 (the most recent five-year period for which data is available) is in Table A3 of Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021093/Table-A3.odsThe provisional total for UK ODA spend by Government Department in 2021 is available in Table 3 of Statistics on International Development: Provisional UK Aid Spend 2021:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1068460/prov-SID-21-Table3a.ods

Development Aid: Expenditure

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance (a) has been spent in 2022-23 to date and (b) is planned expenditure for the remainder of 2022-23, by Department.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Due to the UK's significant support to the people seeking sanctuary in the UK from conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan, the FCDO was not able to publish forward programme allocations in our Annual Report as the original allocations would not be accurate. We remain committed to transparency and will provide updates to Parliament on spending plans in due course.A final estimate of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), the ODA:Gross National Income (GNI) ratio and more detailed breakdowns of UK ODA is published annually in Statistics on International Development publications (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development).

Zambia: Poverty

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the impact of poverty and climate change on children and young people in Zambia.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK has been instrumental in establishing a social protection system in Zambia which will reach one third of households by next year. This programme specifically targets vulnerable children through its focus on child-headed and women-headed households, and supports climate adaptation for the most vulnerable. FCDO also supports the UN to provide improved nutrition, focused on the first 1000 days of life, to break the cycle of poverty.Under the UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact, we increased our support for small and medium-sized businesses in Zambia, because jobs and economic opportunities are the best route out of poverty for young people.

Development Aid: Developing Countries

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which countries received Official Development Assistance in (a) each of the last four financial years and (b) the current financial year to date.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Official Development Assistance (ODA) is measured on a calendar year basis.UK bilateral ODA spend by country is available for 2017-2020 in Table A4a, Table A4b, Table A4c, Table A4d and Table A4e of Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020. The latest data available is for 2020, with data for 2021 due to be published on 23 November 2022.The UK also provides core funding to multilateral organisations, which will benefit developing countries. A breakdown for 2016 to 2020 of the estimated amount of UK ODA funding to the core budgets of multilateral organisations, which was then spent in developing countries can be found in Table A10 of Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020.Table A4a (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021094/Table-A4a.ods),Table A4b (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021095/Table-A4b.ods),Table A4c (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021097/Table-A4c.ods),Table A4d (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021098/Table-A4d.ods)Table A4e (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021099/Table-A4e.ods)Table A10 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1081373/Table_A10a.ods)

Ministry of Defence

China: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25th October 2022 to Question 65606, on China: Armed Forces, on what date his Department first became aware of ex-Armed Forces personnel being hired by the Chinese Government to train the Chinese armed forces.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2022 to Question 65605, on China: Armed Forces, on what date he personally became aware of ex-Armed Forces personnel being hired by the Chinese Government to train the Chinese armed forces.

James Heappey: The Department became aware of an isolated case in 2019 when a UK defence industry employee was head-hunted to support Peoples Republic of China military aviation programmes. Since then, we have investigated other cases, and when practicable taken necessary measures to deter and dissuade such recruitment. Following the easing of the COVID pandemic, the scale and pace of the recruitment escalated, and it is right that we now expose this threat more widely. We are not prepared to comment on the detail of individual cases. Defence Ministers have been informed of significant developments along the way.

Armed Forces: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October to Question 66895 on Armed Forces: Housing, what estimate his Department has made of the number of service personnel living in Single Living Accommodation in each year since 2018.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The following table details the number of Service personnel living in Single Living Accommodation in each calendar year since 2018.  Calendar YearDates20182019202020212022  to dateCount of Service Personnel living in Single Living Accommodation93,99096,37098,530100,25096,160 This information was extracted from the Joint Personnel Administration Management Information System on 4 Nov 2022. Please note all numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Armed Forces: Surveys

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the next Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey is due to be published.

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the next Families Continuous Attitude Survey is due to be published.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The next Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey results are provisionally scheduled for publication in May 2023. The next Tri-Service Families Continuous Attitude Survey results are provisionally scheduled for publication in July 2023.Confirmed dates will be announced nearer the time and will be available on the release calendar:https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?keywords=survey&content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=ministry-of-defence&order=relevance

Armed Forces: Females

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many women serve in the armed forces.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Black and minority ethnic people serve in the armed forces.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Sarah Atherton) on 18 October 2022 to Question 60068.Ministry of Defence: Females (docx, 22.3KB)

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces have been promoted after being disciplined for (a) sexual harassment, (b) abuse and (c) assault in each of the last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Defence has been clear that unacceptable behaviour and criminality has no place in the Armed Forces and will not be tolerated. Under the Ministry of Defence’s ‘Zero Tolerance to Sexual Offending and Sexual Relationships Between in Instructors and Trainees’ policy, all Service persons who are convicted of a sexual offence, or who are placed on the Sex Offenders Register, will be dismissed from the Armed Forces as a matter of course. The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Veterans: Medical Records

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October to Question 62707 on Veterans: Medical Records, what steps his Department is taking to digitise the medical records of veterans who left the Armed Forces before 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There are more than three million paper medical records for veterans held in the Crown Archives. They have not been digitised, however a digital copy of an individual record can be provided on request.

Navy: Sexual Offences

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of 31 October by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence on Royal Navy: Conduct towards Women, Official Report column 611, if he will publish the remit of the formal investigation into allegations of sexual abuse and harassment in the Royal Navy Submarine Service.

Dr Andrew Murrison: A formal investigation, directed by First Sea Lord, into the allegations of sexual abuse and harassment in the Royal Navy Submarine Service commenced on 24 October. The remit of the formal investigation will consider the facts and circumstances surrounding allegations of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour within the Submarine Service and will seek to establish:The facts and circumstances of any unacceptable behaviour described in the allegations.Whether these specific incidents of unacceptable behaviour have been previously reported to anyone in the Submarine Flotilla. If so, where, how and who they were reported to and what actions have been taken.Whether there are or have been barriers to reporting of inappropriate behaviour and, if so, how these have occured and the effect they have had and could have on the subjects and incidents of these behaviours.Consideration to how to sustain an improved reporting culture.Whether any of the allegations are in contravention of the Armed Forces Act 2006Whether any of the allegations were actioned in accordance with the correct administrative and disciplinary procedures of the day.The Royal Navy’s investigation will include an individual from outside Defence to provide external scrutiny. They will work alongside the investigation and are currently being selected for their independence, probity and integrity. While it would be premature to offer any further comment until those investigations are complete, anyone found culpable will be held accountable for their actions regardless of their rank or status. Sexual assault and harassment have no place in the Royal Navy and will not be tolerated.

Ministry of Defence: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 19 October to Question 61821 on Ministry of Defence: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, what payments were made to (a) Ifly Indoor Skydiving, (b) Skydive Deland, (c) Fragers Ltd, (d) Schuschule Neustift and (e) Dive Deep Blue, between January and May 2022; how many individuals benefited from the experiences provided by each supplier; and in which countries those experiences took place.

Alex Chalk: The requested information is provided below. Ifly Indoor Skydiving: Total payments of £34,203 benefitting 577 personnel Skydive Deland: Total payments of £20,917 directly benefitting 120 personnel and thousands of members of the public who have enjoyed Red Devils displays Fragers Ltd: Total payments of £18,837 allowing army engagement with circa 114,000 members of the public on a face-to-face basis and 212,000 online through social media platforms Schuschule Neustift: Total payments of £14,537 benefitting 300 personnel Dive Deep Blue: Total payments of £13,180 benefitting 32 personnel Due to the sensitive nature of some MOD activity, we cannot publish detailed location information on a public forum but the above experiences were spread across the UK, Europe & the USA.

F-35 Aircraft: Meteor Missiles

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the anticipated initial operating capability for the Meteor missile on the UK F-35B.

Alex Chalk: I am withholding specific Meteor capabilities and details of planned Initial Operating Capability criteria, as release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces.

Detention Centres: Manston

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the time that the Army will be in control of the Manston immigration short-term holding facility.

James Heappey: The Home Office assumed occupation of the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Manston via a Memorandum of Transfer of Occupation in December 2021. The Manston facility is therefore under the control of the Home Office and not the Ministry of Defence. Defence has, however, agreed to loan Lieutenant General Stuart Skeates to the Home Office to provide advice and coordination on their cross-Channel migration programme and this may include support on the challenges at ManstonUnder Defence primacy for small boats crossings of the English Channel, military personnel provide limited support to the Border Force whilst they conduct initial assessment and screening of new arrivals at Manston. Decisions on detention timings are the responsibility of the Home Office.Military primacy for managing small boat crossings of the Channel will operate until 31 January 2023, at which point responsibility will revert to the Home Office and Border Force.

Ajax Vehicles: Testing

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long the current user validation trials for Ajax are expected to last.

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department will incorporate independent scrutiny of the outcome of Ajax validation trials.

Alex Chalk: The User Validation Trials are progressing well, having moved into the analysis phase to review the results from the dynamic testing. There are no plans to incorporate independent scrutiny of the outcome, however, the results will be reviewed by an expert group. The Ministry Of Defence expects to be able to confirm progression to Reliability Growth Trials by early December.

Defence: Foreign Companies

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to prevent UK defence firms from being acquired by foreign companies where such acquisitions would harm the UK's supply chain security.

Alex Chalk: Investment in the defence sector, regardless of source, is subject to thorough scrutiny and must satisfy the Government's robust legal, regulatory, and national security requirements. Mergers and acquisitions in the defence sector are monitored to ensure that any national security risks are identified and mitigated in line with the requirements of the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

F-35 Aircraft: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Answer of 17 October 2022 to Question 58895 on F-35 Aircraft: Procurement, how many F-35 aircraft has his department ordered out of the 138 committed to.

Alex Chalk: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the hon. Member for Horsham to him on 19 May 2022 to Question 1104.F-35 Aircraft: Procurement (docx, 20.9KB)

Fleet Solid Support Ships: Iron and Steel

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is placing any contractual obligations for the Fleet Solid Support Ship contract to require a specific proportion of UK steel to be used in their construction.

Alex Chalk: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave him on 11 January 2022 to Question number 96776.Warships: Iron and Steel (docx, 21.1KB)

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Iron and Steel

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of UK steel was used in the construction of (a) Ajax, (b) Warrior, (c) Bulldog, (d) Stormer and (e) Challenger 2.

Alex Chalk: In the case of Ajax I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor provided to question 181258 on 20 April 2021. Challenger 2 and Bulldog also use specialist high hardness ballistic steel which is not produced in the UK. No steel was used in the construction of Warrior and Stormer hulls which used aluminium alloys. The turrets of Warrior and Challenger 2 used armoured steel castings produced in the UK. Due to the time that has elapsed since the steel for these vehicles was procured, reliable information is no longer available on the quantity of steel provided by each supplier.

A400M Aircraft: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what industrial workshare the UK receives from the A400M programme broken down by (a) company and (b) region.

Alex Chalk: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 25 October 2022 to Question 63933.A400M Aircraft: Companies (docx, 16.9KB)

Armed Forces: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October to Question 66899 on Armed Forces: Housing, how many and what proportion of those living in Single Living Accommodation categorised as Grade 4 incurred no rental charge.

Alex Chalk: The Table below details the count of Service personnel occupying Single Living Accommodation (SLA) accommodation categorised at Grade 4 and below Grade 4 for the last five calendar years as at 3 November 2022. Calendar YearPermanent SLA Occupied20182019202020212022 to dateCount of Service Personnel at Grade 437,92040,85042,76043,66038,890Count of Service Personnel Below Grade 44,5604,5304,6904,6704,360 A charge which includes rent and utilities is incurred for all accommodation categorised at Grades 1 to 4. For accommodation categorised below Grade 4, the charge excludes the rental element and only includes the cost of utilities. For the purpose of clarity, the table below revises the one I provided in my answer to question 66899, in order to separate out the proportion of Permanent Single SLA at Category 4, and below Category 4 occupied by Service Personnel across the last five calendar years. Calendar YearPermanent SLA Grading20182019202020212022 to dateGrade 135%33%27%22%21%Grade 230%34%36%36%37%Grade 320%22%20%19%17%Grade 440%42%43%44%40%Below Grade 45%5%5%5%5%Other6%7%6%6%7%Grand Total100%100%100%100%100% Please note - a Service Person may have occupied more than one type of SLA across the calendar year.

Ajax Vehicles: Testing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department has provided to Armed Forces personnel who have been medically discharged due to injuries sustained in the testing of Ajax armoured vehicles.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has provided support to help Armed Forces personnel who have been medically discharged because of injuries sustained in testing Ajax armoured vehicles find civilian employment.

Alex Chalk: The Ministry of Defence is committed to a smooth and successful transition from military to civilian life for all personnel, and there is a wide range of support available. Support may include help with registering with a doctor or a dentist, housing, budgeting and children's education. Employment support and job finding services are provided to all Regular Armed Forces Service leavers through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP). For those medically discharged, it includes CV development, interview preparation and vocational training courses to build on military qualifications or to retrain for a new career. Grants and travel costs are available to undertake resettlement activities. 83% of Service leavers who used the CTP in 2020-21 were employed within six months of leaving their service, higher than the UK employment rate of 75%.The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) was introduced for personnel whose injury, ill health or death was caused by Service on or after on 6 April 2005. Awards under the AFCS could provide a tax free lump sum payment for pain and suffering, or a Guaranteed Income Payment which is a tax free, index linked monthly payment.The Veterans Welfare Service provides free and confidential advice on a wide range of issues, working closely with local authorities, voluntary organisations and all areas of the Department for Work and Pensions. In addition, veterans can receive support from their Regimental and Corps Associations, ABF The Soldiers' Charity and charities that serve both the serving and the ex-Service community.

Military Aircraft: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of UK steel was used in the construction of the (a) A400M, (b) Globemaster C-17, (c) Hercules C130J and (d) Voyager.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of UK steel was used in the construction of the (a) MR1A, (b) RC-135W, (c) Reaper, (d) Protector and (e) Shadow R1.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of UK steel was used in the construction of the (a) Typhoon, (b) F-35 and (c) Harrier.

Alex Chalk: Due to its weight, steel is used in only limited quantities in military aircraft. Airframes are generally manufactured using aluminium alloys or composite materials. Specialist steels are used in aeroengines due to their heat resistant properties.The sourcing of steel used in military aircraft is a matter for the relevant prime contractors, and as such the Ministry of Defence does not hold comprehensive information on its origins.

Military Aircraft: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of UK steel was used in the construction of the (a) Type 26, (b) Type 31e, (c) Type 45, (d) Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, (e) Albion Class and (f) Type 23.

Alex Chalk: In respect of the Type 26 and Type 31 Frigates, I refer the right hon. Member to the answers my predecessor gave on 14 March 2022 to Question numbers 136651 and 136652 to the hon. Member for Angus (Dave Doogan).For the Type 45 Destroyers, Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers and Type 23, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave him on 19 July 2022 to Question number 33690.In respect of the Albion class, owing to the time that has elapsed since the procurement of these ships, the source of the steel used in their manufacture is unknown.Type 26 Frigates: Iron and Steel (docx, 21.4KB)Warships: Iron and Steel (docx, 21.9KB)

Ministry of Defence: Clubs

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 61820 on Ministry of Defence: Clubs, what total payments were made to (a) Just Paintball, (b) Medway Yacht Club and (c) Snowdome Ltd between January and May 2022; and how many individuals benefited from the experiences provided by each supplier.

Alex Chalk: The requested information is detailed below.Just Paintball: Total payments of £6,775 benefitting up to 5,000 cadets at camps and many hundreds of members of the public as part of engagement events such as county shows.Medway Yacht Club: Total payments of £4,062 benefitting 120 trainees.Snowdome Ltd: Total payments of £3,696 benefitting 72 personnel.

Military Bases: Colchester

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons he did not allow direct negotiations with Colchester Borough Council for the sale of the former Army Base Repair Organisation site at Flagstaff Road, Colchester, to the Council; and if he will make a statement.

Alex Chalk: The disposal site at Defence Support Group Colchester was listed on the Electronic Property Information Mapping Service (e-PIMS) tool on 14 August 2020 with an expiry date of 23 October 2020. Colchester Borough Council (CBC) did not respond within this period. CBC subsequently submitted an offer in at tender stage, but this was unsuccessful as it did not represent the best financial outcome.

Military Bases: Colchester

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, why the highest bidder for the former Army Base Repair Organisation site at Flagstaff Road, Colchester, was allowed to reduce the bid price by almost £1 million; and if he will make a statement.

Alex Chalk: The price was adjusted to reflect a number of issues identified on the site which reduced its overall value and could not have been anticipated at the time of tender.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place a copy of the recent Defence Infrastructure Organisation letter to service families on the operation of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services contract in the House of Commons Library.

Alex Chalk: A copy of the letter that the Defence Infrastructure Organisation issued to service families who had submitted a complaint since the 1 April 2022 launch of the new Future Defence Infrastructure Services contracts will be placed in the Library of the House.DIO Service Family Accommodation  Letter (docx, 37.2KB)

Antitank Missiles: Contracts

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to place the contract to replenish British Army stocks of NLAW, following the donation of such weapons to Ukraine.

Alex Chalk: The UK is proud to be a leading provider of support to Ukraine. A wide variety of military equipment and munitions has been granted in kind to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, some provided directly from UK stocks and some procured rapidly from industry suppliers. The Ministry of Defence remains fully engaged with industry, allies and partners to ensure both the continuation of supply to Ukraine, and that all equipment and munitions granted in kind from UK stocks are replaced as expeditiously as possible. With respect to NLAW specifically, a tranche of several hundred missiles will be delivered to UK stockpiles from January 2023 onwards. A further contract will be signed imminently for a larger subsequent order. It is not possible to comment further on the exact details and costs of establishing individual contracts, as this information is both commercially and operationally sensitive.

Defence: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October to Question 67853 on Defence: Procurement, if he will deposit a copy of the annual survey of his Department’s larger suppliers covering their spend with SMEs that stems from UK Ministry of Defence contracts in the House of Commons Library.

Alex Chalk: The results of the annual survey are published by the Cabinet Office (Central Government spend with SMEs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) for all Government Departments. For the Ministry of Defence, the result of the survey shows that for financial year 2020-21 the Department spent £3.539 billion indirectly with SMEs, which equates to 18.1% of our total procurement spend.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2022, HCWS259, on Military Support to Ukraine, whether the Government has agreed a contract for restocking the artillery ammunition supplied to Ukraine.

Alex Chalk: The UK is proud to be a leading provider of support to Ukraine. A wide variety of military equipment and munitions has been granted in kind to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, some provided directly from UK stocks and some procured rapidly from industry suppliers. The Ministry of Defence remains fully engaged with industry, allies and partners to ensure both the continuation of supply to Ukraine, and that all equipment and munitions granted in kind from UK stocks are replaced as expeditiously as possible. It is not possible to comment on the details of progress of establishing individual contracts, nor on the costs associated with those contracts, as this information is both commercially and operationally sensitive.

Antiaircraft Missiles

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in what year the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile programme was cancelled.

Alex Chalk: I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADS) programme which has been renamed as Sky Sabre, Land Ceptor and Sea Ceptor, all of which are in service at Initial Operating Capability (IOC).

Military Aircraft: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time was between completing multi-engine flying training and beginning the (a) Poseidon, (b) Shadow, (c) Rivet Joint and (d) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems operational conversion course in the latest period for which data is available.

James Heappey: Poseidon 64 weeks; Shadow 66 weeks; Rivet Joint 36 weeks and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) 55 weeks.

F-35 Aircraft: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time is between completing Advanced Fast Jet Training and beginning the Lightning II operational conversion course.

James Heappey: 36 weeks.

Estonia: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Estonian counterpart has raised any concerns with him over the numbers of UK Armed Forces personnel in that country.

James Heappey: The Secretary of State for Defence meets regularly with his Estonian counterpart to discuss the UK's enduring commitment to Estonia, and the Department works in close partnership to ensure our force posture is correctly calibrated for the current security climate. The Estonian Defence Minister has previously indicated that the Estonian MOD would prefer for the deployment of the UK's temporary second Battlegroup to be extended. Estonia and the UK have now jointly agreed a plan to implement the commitments made by the UK at the NATO Madrid summit, and ensure our troop levels and capability are commensurate with Estonia's and NATO's security needs. The implementation of our summit commitments will increase the overall capability of our forces in Estonia, which both parties agree is more important than troop numbers alone. The second Battlegroup will return to the UK, as planned, in December 2022.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he (a) has met and (b) plans to meet his counterparts in (i) NATO and (ii) other allied countries to agree a plan of action to support Ukraine in 2023.

James Heappey: On 11 October, the G7, including the UK, committed to the continuation of financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support for as long as it takes for Ukraine to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity.The Secretary of State for Defence regularly meets with his counterparts in NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force and Northern Group to discuss ongoing support to Ukraine, most recently at the Ukraine Contact Group and the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels in October.The Secretary of State for Defence will continue to engage with Allies and partners to help Ukraine to defend itself although it is important to note that at no point has NATO involved itself in the direct support of Ukraine. NATO's focus is on reassuring Allies and ensuring the war in Ukraine does not spread.

Typhoon Aircraft: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time is between completing Advanced Fast Jet Training and beginning the Typhoon operational conversion course.

James Heappey: 37 weeks.

Telecommunications Cables: Seas and Oceans

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the security of the UK's under sea network of pipes and cables from hostile actors.

James Heappey: Detailing security assessments of undersea pipes and cables would be likely to prejudice the purpose of safeguarding their security, and with it national security. Subsea internet cables are specifically considered in the National Risk Assessment which is kept under review.The most likely cause of damage to subsea cables is by fishing, particularly trawling and other seabed-disturbing activities. The recent incident in the Shetlands has shown that accidental breakage of communications cables is not unknown and mechanisms to repair them are well tested.Overall governmental responsibility for subsea power and telecommunications cables lies with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, respectively.

China and Russia: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is aware of any Armed Forces personnel who have been recruited by (a) Russia and (b) China to support those countries' defence microchip industries since 2010.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is aware of any Armed Forces personnel who have been recruited by (a) Russia and (b) China to support those countries' offensive cyber capabilities since 2010.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any cases of Service personnel being recruited into Chinese or Russian defence microchip industries or in support of their offensive cyber capabilities.

Defence: Inflation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral evidence to the Defence Select Committee on 2 November 2022, what his Department's estimate of inflationary pressures for the next two years was before the announcement of the Growth Plan 2022.

Alex Chalk: The Department's estimate of inflationary pressures has not changed since the announcement of the Growth Plan 2022.The estimate is based on a number of inflation indices that are produced periodically and have not been updated since the announcement of the Growth Plan 2022.

Fleet Solid Support Ships: Contracts

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how he plans to announce the final decision on the award of the Fleet Solid Support ship contract; and if he will make a statement.

Alex Chalk: The selection of the Preferred Bidder will be announced in due course, prior to the award of a manufacture contract. Parliament and all other interested parties will be informed of the decision in the usual manner.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has paid to service families in compensation for matters relating to the Future Defence Infrastructure Services contract since that contract commenced.

Alex Chalk: Under the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) contracts, compensation is administered and funded by the suppliers at no cost to the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The MOD has therefore not paid any compensation to service families for matters relating to the FDIS contracts.

Nuclear Weapons: Testing

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on data that was gathered from blood samples taken from servicemen (a) before, (b) during and (c) after their service at the UK nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 38 of the report of the Director of the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment on Operation Hurricane, ref AWRE-T1/54, what records his Department holds on urine samples taken from servicemen present at the UK atomic weapons tests in the 1950s.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what tests his Department has carried out on (a) blood and (b) urine samples taken from people who served at UK nuclear tests between 1952 and 1991.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2018 to Question 200586 on Armed Forces: Radiation Exposure and to National Archives documents Annex G to O92/2534(ASD 26), dated 9 January 1957, and C/6084/PA 1, dated 19 November 1957, where the results of the samples referred to in those documents are held.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Service personnel who were present at the UK nuclear weapon tests may have had blood samples taken throughout their career. Any records taken either before, during or after participation at the UK nuclear weapon tests would be held in individual military medical records in the Government's archives.These medical records are unlikely to be collated in a form related to samples or incidences, and to ascertain what blood and urine tests may have been undertaken by service personnel would require the individual medical record of each of the personnel present at the UK nuclear tests to be located and reviewed. These records are not held centrally and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.The Atomic Weapons Establishment holds copies of the results of urine radioactivity measurements and blood tests for a small number of individuals where these were included in scientific documentation on the nuclear weapons trials.

Detention Centres: Manston

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the appointment of an Army General to the Manston immigration short-term holding facility; and from which Departmental budget this cost will be paid.

James Heappey: As agreed between Departments, the Ministry of Defence will use the 'full costs' charging model for the loan of Lt. General Skeates to the Home Office. This will include all pay, pension and related costs (the capitation rate for this rank is £266,752 per annum), plus any travel and subsistance costs associated with the role.

Detention Centres: Manston

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether a Military Aid to the Civil Authorities request was submitted prior to the appointment of an Army General to the Manston immigration short-term holding facility.

James Heappey: The loan of Lieutenant General Skeates to the Home Office was expedited through the standard interdepartmental loan process. No Military Aid to the Civil Authorities request was received. In accordance with the terms of the loan agreement Defence will be recovering from the Home Office the full costs associated with the loan.

Detention Centres: Manston

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Minister signed off the appointment of an Army General to the Manston immigration short-term holding facility; and to which Department the General will report.

James Heappey: The agreement to loan Lieutenant General Skeates to the Home Office until the end of the 2022-23 financial year was made between the Permanent Secretaries of MOD and the Home Office. The loan was expedited through the standard interdepartmental loan process and Defence will be recovering from the Home Office the full costs associated with the appointment. The General works directly to the Home Office, coordinating and advising on migration issues, including relating to the Manston facility.

Finland: Military Exercises

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether joint military exercises have been held with Finland in advance of that country's accession to NATO.

James Heappey: The UK fully supports Finland's application to join NATO and has, from the outset, offered Finland security assurances through the accession period. The UK and Finland have conducted multiple joint military exercises since Finland announced its application, including a five-week deployment of Challenger 2 tanks, three separate deployments of F35 and Typhoon aircraft, a 10-week deployment by 2 Rifles, and multiple joint training exercises, including Cold Weather Training 22 currently underway north of the Arctic Circle.

Detention Centres: Manston

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Armed Forces personnel are on secondment to Manston immigration short-term holding facility as of 2 November 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Armed Forces personnel are on secondment at the Manston immigration facility.

James Heappey: Armed Forces personnel are not seconded to the Manston site and are instead working as part of Defence's operation for military primacy for small boat crossings of the English Channel.At any time, between 13 and 19 military personnel, all from the Army, are assigned to the Manston site. Across three shifts, the total assigned to support Border Force at Manston is 43 military personnel. These personnel assist with logistics and the initial triage of migrants upon arrival at the site.

Electric Cables and Telecommunications Cables: Seas and Oceans

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in the context of recent incidents of undersea cables being cut, when his Department last undertook a review of the security arrangements for protecting the UK’s undersea cable infrastructure.

James Heappey: The recent incident in the Shetlands was assessed to have been caused by fishing. Accidental breakage of subsea communications cables is not uncommon, particularly through trawling and other seabed-disturbing activities, and mechanisms to repair them are well tested. Overall Governmental responsibility for subsea power and telecommunications cables lies with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, respectively. Subsea internet cables are specifically considered in the National Risk Assessment which is kept under review. The UK Government, with the support of Defence, continuously reviews the broad range of national security threats including threats and hazards to subsea communication cables.

Armed Forces: Officers

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving officers of what ranks were dismissed on grounds of sexual misconduct, harassment and abuse in the last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Under the Ministry of Defence’s ‘Zero Tolerance to Sexual Offending and Sexual Relationships Between Instructors and Trainees’ policy, all Service persons who are convicted of a sexual offence, or who are placed on the Sex Offenders Register, will be dismissed from the Armed Forces as a matter of course. The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Dismissals stemming from relevant sexual offences tried at Courts Martial can be found in the published Court Martial results from the Military Court Centres, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-martial-results-from-the-military-court-centres

Ministry of Defence: Correspondence and Written Questions

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps their Department is taking to reduce the time taken to respond to (a) written parliamentary questions and (b) correspondence from Members of Parliament.

Dr Andrew Murrison: All Government Departments have access to regular training led by the Parliamentary Capability Team through the Government Campus.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and correspondence from Members of Parliament, and officials remain committed to providing the highest level of service. To complement the work of the Parliamentary Capability Team, the MOD offers training sessions to its staff on the importance of Parliamentary Business, including the timeliness and quality of PQs and correspondence.Between the period of May to July 2022 inclusive, the MOD answered 96% of PQs and 89% of correspondence from Members of Parliament on time.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total value of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services contract.

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the planned duration of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services contract.

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a list of all (a) contractors and (b) sub-contractors involved in supplying services to his Department as part of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services contract.

Alex Chalk: The total value of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) Contracts is c.£2.9 billion for the core contract services. This figure does not include the potential for any additional works. The planned duration of the FDIS contracts is seven years with an option for three further one year extensions based on performance. The prime contractors are:FDIS Built Estate VIVO - Central and South West RegionMitie - Scotland & Northern IrelandVINCI Facilities - South East RegionFDIS Accommodation Estate Pinnacle Housing - National Accommodation Management ServicesVIVO - South East and South West RegionAmey – Northern and Central Region FDIS EstateThis contract is yet to be awarded. The Department does not hold a substantive list of all sub-contractors due to the changeable nature of sub-contracting, however, the key sub-contractors are Tivoli, Group Limited, Daubney Limited, Sopra Steria and Pickfords Move Management Limited.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobcentres: Standards

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2022 to Question 23742 on Jobcentres: Standards, whether his Department has published the service delivery framework.

Guy Opperman: The Service Delivery Framework was previously published on the 'what do they know' website in December 2021 in response to a Freedom of Information request. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/817173/response/1947859/attach/4/Service%20Delivery%20Framework%20Jobcentre.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1. The department intends to publish an updated version on the House of Commons library in the coming weeks.75908 annex (pdf, 165.6KB)

Unemployment Benefits

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Answer of 30 June to Question 23741, what breakdowns they have of those on out of work benefits; and what plans her Department has to review this data.

Guy Opperman: Statistics on the number of individuals in receipt of Universal Credit broken down by employment status are published every three months, with the latest data available to August 2022, on Stat-Xplore. The statistics can be broken down by age, gender, conditionality group, duration on UC and geography.

Social Security Benefits

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that families that have reached the benefits cap have enough money.

Guy Opperman: Getting claimants back into work remains our primary concern and, returning to employment will significantly increase the likelihood of a household not being affected by the cap. Local authorities can support claimants with reviewing their housing options and provide budgeting advice. Claimants can also approach their local authority to be considered for a Discretionary Housing Payment. These can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their rental costs.

Universal Credit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, If he will take steps to implement the recommendations of the Social Security Advisory Committee in its report of 26 May 2022 on improving the transparency and external oversight of the managed migration phase of Universal Credit.

Guy Opperman: The Government response to SSAC’s recommendations was published, on 4th July 2022, when the regulations were laid in parliament. The Department thanked the committee and noted all their recommendations. The letter reassured the committee that we have comprehensive governance and external engagement arrangements in place.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to assess the potential impact of benefit sanctions on recipients during the cost of living crisis; and if he will make it his policy to suspend sanctions until the cost of living crisis is resolved.

Guy Opperman: Safeguards are built into the system to ensure conditionality is appropriate. We take care to apply relevant easements, which are temporary suspensions of conditionality, for times when claimants may not be in a position to look for work, for instance for people who are under threat of homelessness, or who need emergency childcare. Claimants with health conditions also have their conditionality tailored in recognition of their capabilities, reducing or adjusting the work-related expectations. Most sanctions are for failing to attend a mandatory appointment at a Jobcentre Plus, and these can often be resolved quickly by claimants getting in touch with their Jobcentre and attending their next appointment. Many of our claimants are also entitled to other elements in UC, such as housing or child elements. If a sanction is applied, claimants continue to receive these parts of the payment. There are also hardship payments available, if a claimant demonstrates that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of increasing benefits in line with inflation on incentives for people in low-paid employment to remain in employment.

Guy Opperman: The Secretary of State is currently conducting his statutory annual review of State Pensions and benefit rates. The outcome of that review will be announced in due course. Universal Credit is designed to make work pay, so not all of a person's net earnings are deducted from their Universal Credit. Claimants with children and/or limited capability for work will also benefit from a work allowance. A work allowance is an amount of earnings a Universal Credit household can earn (including employed and self-employed earnings) before the single taper rate of 55 per cent is applied to their earnings and their Universal Credit begins to be reduced. In simple terms, this means that 45 pence in every pound earned would be kept: claimants are £45 better off for every extra £100 of net earnings. If a single claimant (or either claimant in a couple) have responsibility for a child or qualifying young person, and/or have limited capability for work, they will be eligible for a work allowance.

International Labour Organisation

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Government's relationship with the International Labour Organisation.

Guy Opperman: As a founding member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) the UK continues to be actively engaged and involved with the organisation. To date, the UK has ratified 89 ILO Conventions, most recently the Violence and Harassment Convention, which was ratified in March this year (2022). The UK is one of ten permanent members of the ILO Governing Body and currently have a delegation attending its 346th session in Geneva, running until 10 November. The UK also attends the annual International Labour Conference. In addition to contributions made by the Department for Work and Pensions to the ILO’s regular budget, the UK is a major contributor to the ILO’s development cooperation programme through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. I hope to meet with the new Director General of the ILO, Mr Gilbert Houngbo, in due course.

Universal Credit: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish any equality impact assessment that was carried out to assess the impact on those with disabilities and long term conditions as a result of the decision to raise the Administrative Earnings Threshold in Universal Credit.

Guy Opperman: The Department will consider its approach on this issue in due course.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of a benefits sanction has been in the last 12 months.

Guy Opperman: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to remove the benefits cap.

Guy Opperman: There is a statutory duty to review the levels of the cap at least once in every five years and this will happen at the appropriate time.

Social Security Benefits

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps in the next fiscal event to ensure that families subject to the benefits cap do not fall into food and heating poverty in winter 2022-23.

Guy Opperman: The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs, and the Chancellor made clear it will continue to do so from now until April next year. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. For those who require additional support the government has provided an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. For the period October 2022-March 2023, we are providing an additional £421million to help households in England with the cost of essentials, and the devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula. Claimants can also approach their local authority to be considered for a Discretionary Housing Payment. These can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their rental costs.

Universal Credit: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of people with disabilities or long term conditions who are affected by the announcement to raise the Administrative Earnings Threshold in Universal Credit.

Guy Opperman: It is not possible to answer the question with precision.

Social Security Benefits: Internet

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of social security do not have personal access to on-line systems to update their journals (a) nationally and (b) in York.

Guy Opperman: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of freezing the benefits cap.

Guy Opperman: No assessment has been made. There is a statutory duty to review the levels of the cap at least once in every five years and this will happen at the appropriate time.

Jobcentres: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of daily appointments held by job coaches was in the last 12 months for which data is available.

Guy Opperman: The information not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has provided to Jobcentre Plus work coaches on the minimum numbers of appointments they must holdwithclaimants.

Guy Opperman: The frequency of interventions Work Coaches undertake with claimants is determined by the individual circumstances of the claimant, the duration of their claim, and the level of support required at that particular time. There is no target of face-to-face appointments a full-time Work Coach is expected to deliver in one day. Appointments are determined by the circumstances of each claimant and the type of meeting being conducted. Maintaining an effective Work Coach diary is a joint responsibility between a team leader and the Work Coach and is managed collaboratively through regular discussion and agreement.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to progress the implementation of the recommendations of the Social Security Advisory Committee in its Occasional Paper 25: how DWP involves disabled people when developing or evaluating programmes that affect them following its publication in March 2021.

Tom Pursglove: We responded to the Committee’s report in July, accepting two of the recommendations in full and one partially. We are progressing with the improvements to the accessibility of our services noted in our response. We continue to put the voice of disabled people at the centre of our policy making and the design of our services.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a summary and analysis of responses to his Department’s consultation on the Health and Disability Green Paper: Shaping Future Support, which closed on 11 October 2021.

Tom Pursglove: We received over 4,500 responses to the Health and Disability Green Paper consultation, and we are very grateful to all the individuals and organisations who contributed. We will respond with a White Paper in the coming months.

Personal Independence Payment: Means-tested Benefits

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the administrative costs of means testing Personal Independence Payments per month.

Tom Pursglove: Personal Independence Payment, as for all the extra costs disability benefits, is not means tested. No assessment has been made of the administrative costs of introducing a means test.

Advocacy

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress his Department has made on establishing a National Advocacy Service.

Tom Pursglove: In Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper, we set out our intention to test providing extra support for claimants who find it difficult to navigate the benefits system. We will provide an update on our progress in a White Paper which we will publish in the coming months.

Poverty: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the numbers of children in poverty (a) nationally and (b) in York Central; and what fiscal steps he plans to take to reduce the numbers of children in poverty.

Mims Davies: National statistics on the number and percentage of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, and can be found at: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab) Latest statistics for the levels of children who are in low income in York are published in “Children in Low Income Families”, and can be found at: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab) Due to methodological differences, the figures in these two publications are not comparable. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is currently conducting his statutory annual review of State Pensions and benefit rates. The outcome of that review will be announced in due course. With 1.25 million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting parents to move into, and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty. To support parents to progress in work, we are extending the support jobcentres provide to people in work and on low incomes to help them to increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs. The new in-work progression offer started to roll-out from April 2022. Once fully rolled out, we estimate that around 2.1m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support. This will be provided by work coaches and focus on removing barriers to progression such as support with childcare or addressing skills gaps. The progression offer is in addition to a change the government made last month to the Administrative Earnings Threshold in Universal Credit. By raising the threshold on 26th September 2022, approximately 114,000 more UC claimants on the lowest incomes will benefit from regular work coach support. The Chancellor announced that we would go further and raise the threshold again from January 2023 to expand this support to approximately 120,000 more people. The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs, and the Chancellor made clear it will continue to do so from now until April next year. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. The £37bn also includes up to £650 in cost of living Payments (paid in 2 lump sums of £326 and £324) which have targeted support at around 8 million low-income households on means-tested benefits. For those who require additional support we have provided an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m, running from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. The devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula as usual.

Universal Credit: Cost of Living Payments

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants on a non-monthly earning cycle missed out on each of the first and second Cost of Living Payment instalments due to receiving a nil Universal Credit award as a result of higher earnings than usual during the qualifying assessment period.

Mims Davies: It is not possible to identify how many households did not receive the Cost of Living payment because of the way their wages were paid during the qualifying month. A claimant may not be eligible to receive a Cost of Living payment if they have an increase earnings during the qualifying period. We are unable to distinguish whether this fluctuation is temporary or permanent. This fluctuation could be the result of a household receiving additional earnings due to being paid more frequently or another reason. During the first qualifying period, with an assessment period end date between 26/4/2022 and 25/5/2022 inclusive, there were 464,000 Universal Credit households where earnings reduced their Universal Credit award to £0 for the qualifying period. This was equivalent to 551,000 Universal Credit claimants. Figures for the second Cost of Living payment are not available as these payments have not yet been made. In collaboration with Local Authorities we have a well-established system of hardship payments, including the Discretionary Housing Payments, available as a safeguard for if claimants demonstrate they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs due to the rise in the cost of living. For those who require additional support we have provided an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £421m, running from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. The devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula as usual. Notes:1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.2. Great Britain level figures have been provided.3. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.4. Numbers are not comparable with Official Statistics Household series as a household may receive a nil award for reasons other than earnings.5. The methodology and data source used is different to those used to derive the Official Statistics Household series.

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Consultation

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) consultations and (b) calls for evidence issued by his Department are closed but have not been responded to as of 12 July 2022.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence and Written Questions

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps their Department is taking to reduce the time taken to respond to (a) written parliamentary questions and (b) correspondence from Members of Parliament.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and correspondence, and officials remain committed to providing the highest level of service. All departments have access to regular training on the full suite of Parliamentary business, led by the Parliamentary Capability Team through the Government Campus. The Ministerial Correspondence Team held tailored training sessions for correspondence drafting colleagues to drive up quality and timeliness of responses. These sessions were delivered twice between April and June 2022.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Cats and Dogs: Meat Products

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the prohibition of the consumption of dog and cat meat within Great Britain.

Rebecca Pow: HM Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare, including the welfare of dogs and cats. The United Kingdom is a nation of animal lovers and citizens of this country find the consumption of dog and cat meat inconceivable. HM Government strongly agrees with this view and is appalled by the prospect of dogs or cats being consumed. HM Government has seen no evidence that dog or cat meat is being sold or consumed in this country. There are strict rules for food businesses on the slaughter and production of meat for human consumption in the United Kingdom and dog or cat meat would not be permitted under these requirements. We also have specific laws on the sale of food in England which are enforced under the Novel Foods Regulation 2018. These regulations make it an offence to sell dog or cat meat in England.

Cats: Tagging

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the compulsory microchipping of pet cats.

Rebecca Pow: We plan to lay regulations by the end of 2022 which will bring compulsory cat microchipping into force after a transition period.

Avian Influenza: Disease Control

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact on poultry prices in winter 2022-23 of the decision to cull birds following the outbreak of avian flu on 27 October 2021.

Mark Spencer: The British poultry sector is highly resilient and plays a significant role in the production of high quality chicken, turkey, duck and geese. The United Kingdom is currently experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) with over 240 cases confirmed across the country in poultry and other captive birds since October 2021. During the period 1st– 31st October 2022, around 1.5 million chickens, 822,000 turkeys, 330,000 ducks, and 19,000 geese alone have died or been culled because of AI. We recognise that these outbreaks are very distressing for the individual poultry farmers and businesses that are affected. However, the overall impact on food supply is relatively small, with approximately 1.1 billion chickens and 11 million turkeys alone usually sold in Great Britain each year. Defra’s objective in tackling any outbreak of AI is to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. Our approach considers the latest ornithological, epidemiological, veterinary and other scientific advice. Where necessary, we are also able to introduce Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) and mandatory housing measures within AIPZs to prevent the spread of the disease. A national housing order in England was announced on 31st October and will come into force on 7th November. The price increases that the poultry industry has seen this last year are largely a result of rising input costs such as feed and energy; partly caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Chemicals: EU Law

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to (a) preserve, (b) extend the sunset date to 2026, (c) revoke or (d) replace the majority of retained EU law relating to the regulation of chemicals.

Rebecca Pow: HM Government is in the process of analysing all retained EU law. This analysis will enable us to determine what should be preserved as part of domestic law and what should be repealed or amended.

Fireworks: Regulation

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the effectiveness of legislation on fireworks in protecting the welfare of animals.

Rebecca Pow: HM Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously. There is a comprehensive regulatory framework already in place for fireworks which aims to strike the right balance for people to enjoy fireworks, whilst aiming to reduce risks and disturbances to the welfare of animals. Information on how to use fireworks responsibly can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/staying-safe-with-fireworks. It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause an animal unnecessary suffering - and this includes through the misuse of fireworks. Users of fireworks need to use them responsibly and be aware of animals close by, and those found guilty of causing animals unnecessary suffering can face up to five years’ imprisonment. A number of animal welfare organisations also provide advice and guidance for pet owners on how to keep their animals safe around fireworks.

Waste: Crime

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Government's policies on tackling waste crime.

Rebecca Pow: In 2018 we published the Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy which sets out our long-term approach to minimising waste and improving resource efficiency. The Strategy included the first ever strategic approach to waste crime which outlined steps to prevent, detect and deter waste crime. Since publishing the strategy we have made key steps towards achieving our commitments: either through directly actioning our core commitments, or through progressing established plans to further our goals. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020/21 the Environment Agency stopped illegal activity at 722 sites, contributing to a 14% reduction in known illegal sites from the previous year. As part of the Resources and Waste Strategy we committed to publishing an annual set of metrics and indicators for high level monitoring of progress with the Strategy. Earlier this year we appointed a consortium led by Ipsos Mori, to deliver an evaluation of the Strategy which will run over at least five years.

Plastics: Pollution Control

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a specific plastic reduction target for local authorities under the Environment Act 2021.

Rebecca Pow: We have not assessed the merits of introducing a specific plastic reduction target for local authorities under the Environment Act 2021. We consulted earlier this year on a target for reducing all residual waste excluding major mineral waste. Our consultation set out the rationale for the Government’s proposed choice.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department spent in total on direct payments broken down by payments (a) under £30,000, (b) £30,000-£50,000, (c) £50,000-£150,000 and (iv) more than £150,000 in each of the last five years.

Mark Spencer: The table below sets out the number of Direct Payments made over the last five full scheme years.GroupingScheme Year20172018201920202021Under £30K68,51867,32867,15867,08968,401£30K - £50K8,2418,2188,2508,1978,182£50K - £150K7,3417,4457,4997,6906,977More than £150K1,0381,0551,0901,133743Total85,13884,04683,99784,10984,303

Environment Agency: Finance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish details of the amounts of funding the Environment Agency has received from all sources, in each year since 2010.

Rebecca Pow: The information requested is provided in an attachment to this answer.EA funding sources (pdf, 33.5KB)

Meat: Genetically Modified Organisms

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill on the cultivated meat sector.

Mark Spencer: The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill will ensure that plants and animals developed using precision breeding technologies in ways which mimic traditional and natural processes, and food and feed products produced from such plants and animals, can be regulated proportionately to risk. Under this Bill, HM Government intends to introduce simpler regulatory measures to enable food and feed produced from precision bred plants or animals to be brought to market more easily, and we will support our leading scientists to develop plants and animals that are more nutritious, resistant to pests and disease and resilient to extreme temperatures. HM Government acknowledges the potential benefits of innovative protein development and will continue to work together with interested parties including the cultivated meat sector on developments in this area.

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to ensure UK food security in the context of seasonal temporary worker labour shortages.

Mark Spencer: Overall, the food supply in the United Kingdom is highly resilient and the food industry is well versed in dealing with scenarios that impact food supply. However, Defra is aware of the impact that labour shortages are having on the food supply chain and we continue to work closely with industry to monitor the situation and to help our world-leading farmers and food producers access the labour they need. To inform future decisions on labour across the sector, Defra recently launched an independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain, and it will report in spring 2023. The Seasonal Worker visa route was specifically designed to support the UK horticulture sector where growers typically require higher volumes of labour, for relatively short-term periods of time, in line with seasonal production peaks. In recognition of the short-term peak demand for poultry workers in the run up to Christmas, in June 2022 HM Government added these workers to the visa route. As announced on 24 December last year, the Seasonal Worker visa route will continue to operate until at least the end of 2024. A total of 40,000 visas are available in 2022, of which 2000 are allocated to poultry workers and the rest for horticulture. The new HM Government is carefully considering the position on visa quotas for 2023 and we will say more in due course.

Environmental Land Management Schemes

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Environmental Land Management Schemes; and whether it is her Department's policy to continue their rollout.

Mark Spencer: As the Prime Minister set out, protecting our environment is at the heart of the Government’s manifesto commitments and we will always back British farmers and our rural communities. We are working closely with farmers, land managers and environmental groups as we look at ways to improve our future farming policy so that it both strengthens our environment and supports our thriving food and farming sector. We will set out more details in due course.

Air Pollution: Standards

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to lay before Parliament a draft of a statutory instrument or instruments containing regulations setting two air quality targets on or before 31 October 2022 as required under section 4 of the Environment Act 2021.

Rebecca Pow: Defra Secretary of State laid a Written Minister Statement on 28 October to update Parliament on Environment targets. HMG was not able to publish targets by 31 October, as required by the Act. However, I would like to reassure this House and all interested parties that we will lay the draft statutory instruments as soon as practicable.

Dogs: Imports

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 September to Question 48499 on Dogs: Imports, if his Department will publish the number of dogs imported into the UK from each country outlined in that Answer in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.

Rebecca Pow: Below are tables to show the countries of origin of commercial dog imports. The data for 2020 is for UK, and the data for 2021 and 2022 (up to the 31/08/2022) is Great Britain only. We do not hold data for Northern Ireland for 2021 and 2022. This information is drawn from external TRACES and IPAFFs systems, which are not directly controlled by the department.   EU imports 2020 Rest of World Imports 2020Country Of OriginDogs Country Of OriginDogsAustria6 Antigua and Barbuda1Belgium13 Argentina30Bulgaria222 Australia118Croatia153 Bahrain95Cyprus4246 Barbados8Czech Republic135 Belarus50Denmark2 Bermuda4Estonia21 Bosnia and Herzegovina1636Finland7 Brazil120France33 Canada76Germany103 Cayman Islands6Greece563 Colombia12Hungary5065 Costa Rica9Ireland (Rep. of)5814 Egypt26Italy243 Ethiopia3Latvia5 French Polynesia1Lithuania99 Hong Kong69Malta5 India29Netherlands38 Indonesia2Poland3945 Israel13Portugal343 Japan8Romania32525 Jordan3Slovakia106 Kenya26Slovenia5 Korea (South)29Spain6475 Kuwait12Sweden15 Lebanon10Switzerland1 Macao2Total60188 Malawi1   Malaysia25   Mauritius85   Mexico51   Namibia3   New Zealand40   North Macedonia566   Nigeria3   Oman8   Peru5   Philippines1   Qatar43   Russia713   Saudi Arabia9   Serbia40   Singapore58   South Africa519   Sri Lanka2   Taiwan7   Tajikistan1   Thailand18   Turkey375   Turks and Caicos1   UAE164   Uganda2   Ukraine3   Uruguay5   USA1592   Viet Nam15   Zimbabwe11   Total6764  EU Imports 2021Rest of World Imports 2021Country DogsCountry of originDogsAustria22Argentina17Belgium78Australia345Bulgaria1093Bahamas1Croatia2003Bahrain55Cyprus3758Barbados22Czechia221Belarus1Denmark719Bermuda12England72Brazil125Estonia23Canada167Finland8Cayman Islands15France411China174Germany76Colombia12Greece1017Costa Rica13Hungary4517Ecuador2Iceland1Egypt41Italy296Ethiopia4Latvia512Guam3Lithuania678Hong Kong161Luxembourg2India96Malta3Indonesia2Netherlands152Israel12Northern Ireland2Jamaica2Norway3Japan12Poland5593Jordan13Portugal500Kenya43Republic of Ireland6658Kuwait30Romania38081Lebanon36Scotland1Macao1Slovakia291Malawi2Slovenia7Malaysia71Spain5909Mauritius3Sweden49Mexico11Switzerland8Mozambique2Wales1Namibia3(blank)1Nepal1Grand Total72766New Zealand92  Nigeria2  Oman14  Panama2  Peru25  Philippines1  Qatar179  Russian Federation261  Saudi Arabia27  Serbia2  Singapore141  South Africa1522  South Korea60  Taiwan4  Thailand48  Turkey148  Ukraine6  United Arab Emirates499  United States of America966  Vietnam2  Zimbabwe22  Grand Total5533  EU Imports to 31/08/20222022Rest of World Imports to 31/08/20222022Country Of OriginDogsCountry Of OriginDogsAustria5Albania1Belgium25Algeria1Bulgaria1248Australia295Croatia1742Bahrain84Cyprus1982Barbados13Czech Republic108Bermuda10Denmark216Brazil65England?35Brunei2Estonia13Canada90Finland5Cayman Islands11France68Chile5Germany90China101Greece254Colombia7Hungary1766Costa Rica5Isle of Man2Dominican Republic1Ireland (Rep. of)4528Ecuador1Italy184Egypt13Latvia309Fiji1Lithuania297Hong Kong25Luxembourg1India108Malta0Indonesia1Netherlands84Israel5Northern Ireland13Japan6Norway7Jordan4Poland1242Kenya24Portugal237Korea (South)44Romania8698Kuwait10Slovakia127Lebanon16Slovenia1Malaysia32Spain3348Mauritius13Sweden10Mexico16Switzerland2Namibia2UK4New Zealand82Total26651Nigeria1  Oman1  Panama2  Peru4  Philippines7  Qatar56  Russia21  Saint Lucia1  Saudi Arabia17  Singapore66  South Africa557  Sri Lanka3  Taiwan1  Thailand30  Turkey57  UAE233  Uganda5  Ukraine2  USA416  Vietnam1  Zimbabwe9  Total2584

Home Office

Migrant Workers: Seasonal Workers

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to loosen visa restrictions for seasonal temporary workers to tackle labour shortages.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Detention Centres: Manston

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) cleanliness and (b) safety at Manston asylum processing centre.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Detention Centres: Manston

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to visit Manston asylum processing centre.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Detention Centres: Manston

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) women, (b) people aged over 60 and (c) children are in Manston asylum processing centre as of 31 October 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Detention Centres: Manston

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the average time a person seeking asylum in the UK will spend at Manston processing centre.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: West Yorkshire

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many migrants who have entered the UK via small boat crossings are currently housed in accommodation within West Yorkshire whilst their asylum claims are being processed.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Animal Experiments: Inspections

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of inspectors employed within the Home Office’s Animals in Science Regulation Unit.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the correspondence of 27 September 2022 from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on Hamza Shafique.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the correspondence of 27 September 2022 from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on Briyar Khodamorady.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the correspondence of 28 September 2022 from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on Ardal Marteen.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the correspondence of 28 September 2022 from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on Sadaldin Habab.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Migrant Workers: Seasonal Workers

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, from which countries are workers entering the UK on the 8 week poultry visa being recruited from; what monitoring of the scheme is in place to ensure that workers are not being charged recruitment fees; and what systems are in place to provide redress where fees are being charged.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Detention Centres: Manston

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times she has (a) met and (b) spoken to the leadership of UK Border Force on the situation at Manston asylum centre.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Overseas Students

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessments she has made of the potential merits of the proposals to expand the graduate visas to include International Medical Graduates such as GPs who have completed their training in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2021 to Question 187268 on Immigration: EU Nationals, which of the following bodies have the capability to conduct system to system checks of immigration status: (a) NHS Scotland, (b) Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland, (c) the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, (d) the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and v(e) local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Applications

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applications for asylum that were submitted in (a) the UK and (b) Newport East constituency in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020 and (iii) 2021 are outstanding as of 2 November 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence from the Rt hon. Member for East Ham of 19 August 2022, reference ST97604.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Applications

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) applications for asylum were submitted and (b) decisions on asylum applications were made in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2021 and (iv) 2022 to date.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Age

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) ethical and (b) scientific considerations of the use of x-rays of verify the age of child refugees.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Community Relations

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of using hotels to house asylum seekers on local community cohesion.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Hotels

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of using multiple hotels within close proximity to each other to house asylum seekers on local communities.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Detention Centres: Manston

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to provide additional (a) mental health and (b) wellbeing support for people leaving Manston Immigration Processing Centre.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has provided additional funding to City of York Council for the support of refugees who have been moved from the Manston immigration centre to York.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for the publication of a specific safeguarding framework which will provide specific safeguarding to all vulnerable service users in asylum accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Detention Centres: Disease Control

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the infection control protocols of all Home Office private contractors running immigration centres.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Detention Centres: Infectious Diseases

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what processes her Department has in place to share data with (a) contractors, (b) the Department of Health and Social Care, (c) directors of public health, (d) local authorities and (e) the UK Health Security Agency for the (i) prevention, (ii) treatment and (iii) containment of infectious diseases in immigration centres.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Detention Centres: Infectious Diseases

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent people in immigration centres with infectious diseases from being moved to other locations.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Crimes of Violence: West Yorkshire

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce the number of violent crimes committed in West Yorkshire.

Chris Philp: The Government is determined to drive down serious violence. We are doing this through a twin-track approach which combines tough enforcement action with support for those most at risk; so that we can stop young people from becoming trapped in the cycle of violence in the first place.Since 2019, the Home Office has invested £170m into the development of 20 Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in the areas worst affected by serious violence, which includes establishing a VRU in West Yorkshire. VRUs bring together local partners and deliver a range of early intervention and prevention programmes to divert young people away from a life of crime. Since 2019, the West Yorkshire VRU has received c.16m to support delivery of violence reduction activity, including £5.9m in this financial year. The VRU was also successful in bidding for an additional £450k to work alongside the police to deliver targeted youth work to high-risk young people at the point of arrest.As at 30 September 2022, West Yorkshire Police has recruited 744 additional uplift officers against a total three year allocation of 852 officers.The deployment of officers is an operational decision for Chief Constables.

Crime Prevention: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce crime in London.

Chris Philp: The Government is funding a range of initiatives in London to reduce crime. These include money for a Violence Reduction Unit (VRU); targeted police activity to reduce serious violence; investment to prevent neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls and anti-social behaviour through our Safer Streets Fund; and work to prevent drug related crime through Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery).These initiatives are in addition to the investment we have made available through the police uplift programme. The Metropolitan Police has recruited 3,109 additional uplift officers and the City of London has recruited 161 additional uplift officers.As at 30 September 2022, there are 35,052 police officers (headcount) in the Metropolitan Police Service. This is the highest number of officers on record since comparable records began.

Anti-social Behaviour: Newcastle-under-Lyme

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to help support the police to tackle anti-social behaviour in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Chris Philp: The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local policing to make effective use of the powers in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met. This guidance was updated in June 2022 to ensure a victim-centered approach to tackling ASB as well as stronger use of the powers and tools in the 2014 Act.It is for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, as operational leaders and elected local representatives respectively, to decide how best to respond to local priorities and to help ensure the police have the resources they need; we have given them the biggest funding increase in a decade and are enabling policing to recruit 20,000 additional officers over the next three years.As at 30 September 2022, Staffordshire Police has recruited 265 additional uplift officers against a total three year allocation of 300 officers.

Home Office: Vivastreet

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November to Question 72950 on Home Office: Vivastreet, whether her Department has made any payments to Vivastreet since 2017.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has not made any payments to the company Vivastreet since 2017.

Waste: Crime

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to (a) provide additional funding to help tackle illegal unlicensed operators in the metals recycling sector and (b) launch a wider campaign to tackle waste crime.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle metal theft across the country; and what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of licensing and regulatory requirements in the metals recycling sector in preventing the sale of stolen metals.

Chris Philp: The Home Office engages at a national level with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, police forces and law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders to understand the national picture on metal theft, and what can be done to tackle it. This includes supporting the work of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Metal Crime Steering Group led by the NPCC lead for metal theft, ACC Charlie Doyle.The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 regulates the metal recycling sector, making it more difficult to dispose of stolen metal. A 2017 review of the 2013 Act found it provides a strong legislative foundation. We will continue to keep the Act and supporting guidance under review and update where appropriate.To support enforcement of the 2013 Act, the Home Office provided £177,000 seed corn funding in the 2020/21 financial year to establish the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP), ensuring co-ordination of policing and law enforcement partners to tackle metal theft. The Partnership facilitates data and intelligence sharing to partners to target offenders, understand emerging trends and implement crime prevention measures and has provided training to over 1,600 police officers and other law enforcement agencies in tackling metal theft.Last month officers and partner agencies across the UK took part in the fourth national week of action tackling metal theft, heritage and waste crime. During the week officers visited 39 scrap metal dealers, 41 mobile collectors were stopped, and 16 offences were identified.

West Midlands Police: Recruitment

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many additional police officers have been recruited by West Midlands Police since September 2019.

Chris Philp: As part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme, the Home Office publishes a quarterly update on the number of officers in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area since recruitment began in October 2019. Data are available here: Police Officer uplift statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Table U2 of the data tables accompanying the latest quarterly publication provides a breakdown of additional officers recruited from funding for the Police Uplift Programme by month since October 2019. In addition to these data tables, information on the number of police officers (headcount) and new joiners for each month since April 2020 are published in an open data format.As at 30 September 2022, West Midlands Police have recruited 944 additional police officers attributable to the Police Uplift Programme. This is against an allocation to recruit 1,218 additional police officers by March 2023.

Asylum: Sexual Offences

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of (a) sexual assault and (b) rape have been made by asylum seekers accommodated in hotels in each of the last four years.

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of individuals accused of (a) sexual assault and (b) rape against asylum seekers were subsequently removed from those hotels in each of the last four years.

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what process serious criminal allegations made by asylum seekers accommodated in hotels are reported to her Department.

Miss Sarah Dines: There are vigorous processes in place to record, manage and monitor any high profile/critical incidents that involve asylum support service users, asylum support accommodation premises or asylum support service providers. This is primarily through the High Profile Notification (HPN) system once an issue is identified by a first responder, which triggers involvement from the relevant emergency services, Asylum Accommodation & Support Contracts (AASC) and provider staff as well as intervention from the departments Safeguarding Hub.Due to the categorisations currently used, the Home Office does not record this information in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost. We would have to manually investigate various data sources and even then, the figures would be incomplete as individuals are under no obligation to report sexual assault to the Home Office.

Domestic Abuse: Victims

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure domestic violence victims have access to support with the rising costs of living.

Miss Sarah Dines: Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for this Government. A key part of this is making sure victims and survivors get the support they need.The Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, which we published in March, invests over £230 million, including over £140 million specifically for supporting victims and survivors.In the Plan, my department has also doubled funding for the National Domestic Abuse Helpline. And alongside the Ministry of Justice, a commitment was made to provide multi-year funding for support services. This will offer more stability and consistency for service users, as services will not be dependent on yearly grants. This will help ensure high-quality support is available throughout any increases in the cost of living.And through the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, economic abuse is now recognised in law as being part of the statutory definition of domestic abuse. Between 2018-2022, the Government has provided £567,000 to Surviving Economic Abuse, an organisation that raises awareness of economic abuse and which supports victims and survivors of this pernicious form of domestic abuse.

Hate Crime: Disability

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to implement the Law Commission recommendation on establishing equal protections for people who are assaulted due to their disability as exist for people assaulted due to their race in their report entitled Hate crime laws: Final report, published on 7 December 2021.

Miss Sarah Dines: The Government is considering the Law Commission’s proposals carefully and will respond to the recommendations shortly.

Domestic Abuse: Death

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Safeguarding on 5 September, Official Report, column 16, in response to the Question of the hon. Member for Jarrow on Deaths following Domestic Abuse, how many (a) domestic homicides, (b) domestic abuse-related (i) unexplained and (ii) suspicious deaths and (c) suspected suicides of individuals with a known history of domestic abuse victimisation have been recorded in each year since March 2020.

Miss Sarah Dines: Information on domestic homicides is available on the Home Office Homicide Index. In the year ending March 2021, there were 114 domestic homicides recorded by the police in England and Wales[1].The Home Office have awarded £733,369 in funding over the last three years to the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and College of Policing working with the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme (VKPP), to track and review all deaths within a domestic setting and share learning rapidly with frontline policing. This Domestic Homicide Project has recorded the number of unexplained deaths as a result of or following domestic abuse and suspected suicides of individuals with a known history of domestic abuse victimisation since 23 March 2020.From 23 March 2020 - 31 March 2021, the project recorded 39 suspected suicides of individuals aged 16 or over, with a known history of domestic abuse victimisation and 14 unexplained deaths, where the victim was aged 16 or over, and where there was a prior record of domestic abuse involving the victim and/or suspects[2].[1] Homicide in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)[2] Domestic Homicides and Suspected Victim suicides - Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme

Spiking

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Second Special Report of Session 2022–23 of the Home Affairs Select Committee entitled Spiking: Government Response to the Committee’s Ninth Report, HC508, when she plans to update Parliament on whether the Government intends to introduce a specific criminal offence for spiking; and for what reason her Department did not update Parliament on that matter before 26 October 2022 as set out in that Government response.

Miss Sarah Dines: The government is absolutely committed to updating Parliament on the need for a specific criminal offence for spiking.The Home Office informed the Home Affairs Select Committee on 11 October that the update, while forthcoming, is to be delayed. This is due to recent changes in government and the death of Her Late Majesty.We are aiming to provide this update before the Christmas Recess.

Drugs: Crime

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to reduce the number of criminal offences involving the use of drugs committed in West Yorkshire.

Chris Philp: This Government’s ten-year Drug Strategy, From Harm to Hope, sets out a whole system approach to reduce drug-related crime through its three priorities: breaking drug supply chains; delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system; and achieving a significant reduction in demand for illicit drugs.The Home Office is investing £300 million over three years to mobilise a robust and innovative end-to-end plan which attacks every phase of the supply chain, and the Department for Health and Social Care a further £780 million over three years to rebuild drug treatment and recovery services.Combating Drugs Partnerships have been set up to cover every local area across England and offer a new blueprint for local accountability. Treatment helps reduce crime and local authorities in West Yorkshire have been allocated over £7.3 million for 2022/23 to improve services in line with the ambitions of the drugs strategy.Project ADDER, which is supporting the delivery of the strategy outcomes, trail-blazes a whole-system response to drive down drug related offending, drug deaths and drug use in 13 sites across England and Wales. In total, Wakefield’s Project ADDER funding allocation will be £1,670,000 for 2022/23, which includes both health and enforcement funding.We have also published a white paper, ‘Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession’ that proposes tougher, escalating penalties for so-called recreational drug users who drive the demand for drugs and fuel criminal markets.

Hillsborough Independent Panel: Archives

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reinstate online accessibility to the Hillsborough archive following the ending of criminal trials; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Philp: The Government has ensured public access to the online archive material concerning the Hillsborough Independent Panel and the Hillsborough Inquests which has been available via The National Archives website since January 2022. The archived websites are available on the following links:https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/+/panel.hillsborough.independent.gov.uk/ ;https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20211203190624/http:/hillsborough.independent.gov.uk/ ; andhttps://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20180405140956/http://hillsboroughinquests.independent.gov.uk/ The Operation Resolve archive website has been accessible to the public since March 2022 and is available at the following link,https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20220308161046/http://operationresolve.co.uk/

Hillsborough Families' Experiences Review

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish a Government response to the report by Bishop James Jones entitled The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power.

Chris Philp: The Home Office is coordinating the Government’s overarching response to the Bishop’s report on the experiences of the Hillsborough families, and has been working closely with its partners in the relevant government departments and organisations to carefully consider all of the points of learning in it.We are committed to responding to the Bishop's report as soon as practicable, and will engage with the families during the process.

Public Sector: Accountability

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce the measures contained within the Public Authorities (Accountability) Bill 2017; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Philp: The Home Office is coordinating the Government’s overarching response to Bishop James Jones’ report on the experiences of the Hillsborough families, in which the Bishop asks that the Government give full consideration to the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill 2017.The Government has been working closely with its partners in the relevant government departments and organisations to carefully consider all of the points of learning in it. The Government is committed to responding to the Bishop's report as soon as practicable, and will engage with the families during the process.

Police: Protective Clothing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on procuring stab vests for police forces; what steps she is taking to increase supply of those vests; and if she will make a statement..

Chris Philp: Decisions around the procurement of stab vests are operational issues for Chief Officers to determine in line with their strategic threat and risk assessments.

Animal Experiments: Inspections

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of in-person inspections of establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Chris Philp: The Regulator has strengthened its regulatory oversight and published its process of full system audits at: www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-research-technical-advice#process-and-standards-for-establishment-full-system-audits.The Regulator’s audit programme for compliance assurance purposes is delivered in accordance with the requirements defined in the legislation. This includes in-person announced and unannounced visits to licensed establishments.

Animal Experiments: Inspections

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual reports 2019 to 2021, published in October 2022, what assessment she has made of that report's finding that over 95 per cent of non-compliance incidents were self-reported from 2019 to 2021; and whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of unannounced inspections of establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Chris Philp: The Regulator has strengthened its regulatory oversight and published its process of full system audits at: www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-research-technical-advice#process-and-standards-for-establishment-full-system-audits. The Regulator’s audit programme for compliance assurance purposes is delivered in accordance with the requirements defined in the legislation. This includes in-person announced and unannounced visits to licensed establishments.Self-reporting of non-compliance, in regulatory frameworks, is generally indicative of a willingness towards compliance. The Regulator encourages self-reporting as part of a good governance framework and a culture of compliance.

Police: Royal Commissions

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of conducting another Royal Commission on Policing.

Chris Philp: We recognise that crime is changing and that the future will present new challenges to policing. We are taking action to ensure that the police have the resources and tools they need to respond to the evolving profile of crime while also continuing to get the basics right and deliver safer streets for the public. This includes recruiting 20,000 additional police officers by March 2023 and increasing funding for policing by up to £1.1 billion this year, which includes over £350 million to provide police with the tools and skills they need to meet the technological challenges of the future.A Royal Commission into policing would be a substantial undertaking that would distract policing from their core mission- cutting crime, making the safer streets the public deserve, and delivering justice and high-quality outcomes for victims.

Police Custody: Training

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2022 to Question 69785 on Police Custody: Children, what estimate she has made of the (a) number of Custody Officers and other relevant staff and (b) proportion of Custody Officers and other relevant staff who have completed the one-day immersive training course as of 1 November 2022.

Chris Philp: Police custody is governed by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Codes of Practice which set out the legal framework for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police ofﬁcers. As policing is operationally independent of Government, Chief Constables and elected Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for the training and operational management of custody suites.The College of Policing has recently launched a one-day immersive training course for custody officers and staff focusing on high-risk scenarios. This will be available in due course for all police forces in England and Wales to deliver locally and each police force should determine their own training needs and enrol officers and staff onto the course as required. The Home Office do not gather data on the completion of training by police forces.

Motorcycles: Crime Prevention

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce illegal off-road bike crime in Stockport constituency.

Chris Philp: The Government recognises that misuse of off-road bikes can cause nuisance and distress to communities.However, the police already have powers to tackle off-road bike crime. How road traffic law is enforced is an operational matter for the local chief officer, in conjunction with the Police and Crime Commissioner, based on local pressures and local priorities.

Immigration

Mark Jenkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to (a) reduce the number of (i) lower-skilled migrants and (ii) migrants in general coming to the UK and (b) provide updates on progress in meeting those goals.

Robert Jenrick: We committed to the public we would deliver a new points-based system to bring highly-skilled workers to the UK whilst meeting our clear manifesto commitment to control immigration numbers.  I will provide further policy updates to the House in due course.

Leader of the House of Commons: Correspondence

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional resources she will allocate to the Home Office’s MP Account Management Team to help ensure her Department can respond to MPs correspondence within its 20 day target.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the value for money to the taxpayer of the Home Office not returning to its 20 day service target before March 2023.

Robert Jenrick: 75985Over 60 additional staff have been identified to support delivery of the Home Office MP’s Correspondence recovery plan which will enable a return to service standard in January 2023. 75986The Home Office MP’ Correspondence recovery plan will enable a return to service standard in January ’23. This will significantly reduce the time spent by MP’s caseworkers chasing responses from the Home Office and enable the extra resources detailed above to return to their normal duties. Both will have positive implications from a productivity and cost perspective for both MP’s offices and the Home Office.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Business: Insurance

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the broker remuneration system for large residential building owners who are seeking affordable rates of business insurance.

Lee Rowley: The Government has concerns about year-on-year increases in buildings insurance premiums and the restricted cover on offer to leaseholders. In January 2022, the Secretary of State wrote to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requesting that they investigate the causes of high buildings insurance premiums for leaseholders.The FCA has published its review into the buildings insurance market for multi-occupancy residential buildings 11 metres and above. The report can be found here.The Government is also considering how best to implement the FCA's recommendation to give leaseholders greater rights to review and challenge their insurance costs. This is crucial to holding all parties accountable to the costs being borne by leaseholders.

Islamophobia

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to mark Islamophobia Awareness Week 2022.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with Ministers in the devolved Administrations on tackling Islamophobia on an all-nations basis.

Lee Rowley: The United Kingdom is an open, tolerant and welcoming country where people of all faiths practice in freedom. We have a proud tradition of religious tolerance, within the law. The Government remains committed to creating a strong and integrated society in which hatred and prejudice are not tolerated towards the Muslim, or any other, community. We recognise the huge contribution that people of all faiths, beliefs and none, bring to communities and public life, and we are committed to acknowledging and celebrating this.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much in total his Department has issued in severance pay to former Secretaries of State and Ministers since 5 July 2022; and if he will provide the totals for each individual award.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether any severance pay by his Department to former Secretaries of State and Ministers has been declined since 5 July 2022.

Lee Rowley: The provision of severance payments for ministers is set out in legislation.Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments' annual reports and accounts.Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Public Appointments

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the administrative costs to his Department have been from the appointment of new Secretaries of State since July 2022.

Lee Rowley: This is a core task for the Civil Service and administrative costs are contained and managed within the Department's existing budgets.

Private Renters Ombudsman

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Private Renters Ombudsman is sufficiently resourced to be effective.

Felicity Buchan: Announcements will be set out in the usual way.

British National (Overseas)

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he made of the number of British National (Overseas) visa holders who have claimed destitution funding.

Felicity Buchan: As part of the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) Welcome Programme, funding of up to £2,720 is available per BN(O) household for destitution support. To date, there have been no claims from local authorities for this funding.

Evictions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of (a) Section 8 and (b) Section 21 eviction notices that have been served in the last 12 months.

Felicity Buchan: The Mortgage and Landlord Repossession Statistics record the number of claims for possession brought by landlords in the county court in each quarter. The statistics are available here.

Derelict Land: Finance

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding was allocated to brownfield remediation for housing in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23 to date.

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding was allocated to brownfield remediation in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23 to date, by region.

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many houses were built on brownfield sites in each region of the number of houses in (a) 2019/20, (b) 2020/21, (c) 2021/22 and (d) the current year to date.

Lucy Frazer: The percentages of new residential addresses created on previously developed land in each region are available as below. Figures for more recent years are not yet available.Averaged for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20 at Live Table P301 (Column AD) at the following link.Averaged for the period 2018-19 to 2020-21 at Live Table P301 (Column AD) at the following link.Averaged for the period 2019-20 to 2021-22 at Live Table P301 (Column AD) at the following link.The Government is supporting housing supply, including remediation of brownfield land, through a range of programmes, including the Brownfield Housing Fund and the Brownfield Land Release Fund. The information published by the Department is available in the Annual Report and Accounts. The latest Annual Report and Accounts is available here.

Fuel Poverty: Kirklees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2022 to Question 67864, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Kirklees Council on the provision of warm spaces this winter.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 67864. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on GOV.UK.

Local Government Finance

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to ensure that local government is funded to cover increased cost pressures facing the sector in the upcoming medium term fiscal plan.

Lee Rowley: The Local Government Finance Settlement makes available substantial funding in 2022/23 for local government in England. In addition, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme is providing a discount on energy prices this winter for local authorities whose bills have been significantly inflated by the global energy crisis.We know that inflation forecasts are higher than they were at the Spending Review. We are working closely with councils and their representatives, as we always do, to monitor the impact on service delivery and budgets.

Local Government Finance

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to extend the IFRS9 statutory override for pooled investments beyond 31 March 2023 in the context of volatility in asset prices; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing further additional financial support as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement 2023/24 and 2024/25 to reflect additional costs in the context of inflationary pressures, including in external audit fees.

Lee Rowley: With reference to financial years 2023/2024 and 2024/25, the Government is currently considering elements of the future financial settlement and will make announcements in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to respond to the letter of 30 August 2022 from the Hon. Member for Stockport in respect of an enquiry for a constituent.

Lee Rowley: A response to the Hon. Member was issued on 26 October 2022.

Housing: Construction

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy not to have targets for local authorities on house building.

Lucy Frazer: This Government is committed to making home ownership a reality for a new generation, and we must build homes in the places that people want to live and work. We want decisions about homes to be driven locally and we want to get more local plans in place to deliver the homes we need.We will set out our approach on planning for housing in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to reply to the correspondence of 18 October 2022 from the hon. Member for Bristol South on grant funding for Hartcliffe City Farm, case reference ZA79311.

Dehenna Davison: A response has been issued to the Hon. Member on the 8th November 2022.

Devolution: North Yorkshire

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement devolution in North Yorkshire.

Dehenna Davison: Announcements will be made in due course and in the usual way.

Local Government Finance: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will extend the deadline of 30 September 2022 for the submission of an application by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for a capitalisation direction for financial year 2022-23; and if he will require an external assurance review of that Council's finances and governance arrangements.

Lee Rowley: The former Minister for Local Government wrote to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council on 02 September 2022, indicating Government's in-principle decision agreeing to provide the Council with up to £20 million of support in the financial year 2022/23 through the Exceptional Financial Support process.   As conditions of this in-principle support, the council are required to produce a full plan for addressing their 2023/24 budget gap and beyond and will be subject to an external assurance review of their governance and finance arrangements. My officials continue to discuss the latest position of the council with officers.

Fire and Rescue Services: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a fair funding review of fire services.

Lee Rowley: The Local Government Finance Settlement makes available funding for local authorities in England, including fire and rescue authorities. The Government will always want to work with local partners to understand the challenges and opportunities they face, including fire authorities.

Capital Investment: Conditions of Employment

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the introduction of Investment Zones will have an effect on existing employment rights.

Lee Rowley: The Government is committed to protecting employment rights. Policy announcements will be made in the usual way.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Mr Alister Jack: The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts. Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Church Commissioners

Church of England: Equality Act 2010

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what plans the Church of England has to review its exemptions under the Equality Act 2010.

Andrew Selous: The National Church Institutions have no current plans to do so.

Churches: Disability

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church of England will provide funding for disability access improvements to churches in the Strangford constituency where there is a lack of parish funding.

Andrew Selous: As the Strangford constituency is in the Province of Armagh of the Church of Ireland I regret I am unable to assist. The Church of England has recently updated its own guidance, which is available here: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/Equal_Access_to_Church_Buildings.pdf

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Jeremy Quin: The Provision of severance payments for Ministers leaving office is set out in legislation. Details of the payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Cabinet Office: Constitutions and Elections

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November to Question 73011 on Cabinet Office: Constitutions and Elections, whether his policy remit under the constitution includes (a) the House of Lords and (b) electoral systems.

Jeremy Quin: The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster's constitutional portfolio encompasses issues relating to the House of Lords and the constitutional implications of changes to the electoral system. Ministers in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities hold responsibility for elections.

Former Ministers: Redundancy Pay

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing ministerial severance pay.

Jeremy Quin: The entitlement to severance payments for those who cease to hold ministerial office is set out in the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991. The Government has no current plans to amend the Act.

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Responsibility

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister is responsible for (a) the UK Governance Group and (b) the Union and Constitution Group.

Jeremy Quin: The UK Governance Group is an umbrella group that covers a collection of policy portfolios across Departments and Ministerial responsibilities; no single Minister is responsible for the UK Governance Group. The Union and Constitution Group forms part of the UK Governance Group and operates across Cabinet Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).Constitution Policy is the responsibility of the Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, with support from other Cabinet Office Ministers.Union and Devolution Policy sits under the Prime Minister as Minister for the Union, but day to day responsibility falls to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in his capacity as Minister for Intergovernmental Relations.

Public Sector Fraud Authority: Ministerial Responsibility

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister has responsibility for the Public Sector Fraud Authority; and whether that authority has replaced the Fraud, Error and Debt (FED) Directorate of his Department.

Jeremy Quin: The Minister with responsibility for the Public Sector Fraud Authority is the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the Rt Hon Jeremy Quin MP.The Public Sector Fraud Authority has the Counter Fraud Function within its role. The Fraud, Error and Debt Directorate still exists at present, and it has the Public Sector Fraud Authority and the Debt Function within its purview.

Energy: Power Failures

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has conducted an investigation into how The Guardian newspaper obtained documents classified as Official-Sensitive relating to emergency plans to cope with energy blackouts.

Jeremy Quin: It is the longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on leak investigations.

Cabinet Office: Recruitment

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in 2021.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in 2021.

Jeremy Quin: In the 2021 calendar year, Cabinet Office spent £7.587 million on external recruitment services (consultancy). Included within this total figure is expenditure totalling £7.254m, attributed to the Government Recruitment Service for external recruitment services (consultancy) which was incurred by the Cabinet Office and recharged to other Government Departments.

Prime Minister: Correspondence and Written Questions

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Prime Minister's Office is taking to reduce the time taken to respond to (a) written parliamentary questions and (b) correspondence from Members of Parliament.

Jeremy Quin: Between the period of May to July inclusive, the Prime Minister answered 100% of Parliamentary Questions on time each month. The Prime Minister receives over 3,000 letters and emails every week covering a broad spectrum of issues.Where an Hon. Member writes to the Prime Minister about a matter that is directly the responsibility of another Department, it has been the long-standing practice of successive administrations for that matter to be passed to that Department for a substantive reply, on his behalf.Information on departmental performance on correspondence can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers.

Public Sector: Artificial Intelligence

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using Artificial Intelligence in the delivery of public services.

Jeremy Quin: Safe and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) offers opportunities for the Government to improve the delivery of public services. The Cabinet Office has published joint guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in the public sector. This explores how AI can benefit the delivery of public services. It is important to also consider ethics and safety in each use case. To this end, the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) has partnered with the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to develop the UK algorithmic transparency data standard.CDDO is also baselining the performance of public services and looking at opportunities for public service improvement that can be realised through digital, data and technology. AI is a possible route to realising some of these opportunities. The Government has committed to systematically identify and capture opportunities arising from emerging technologies, such as AI, by 2025.

Former Ministers: Redundancy Pay

Christine Jardine: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of Ministerial severance pay in each year since 1 January 2016 to 2 November 2022.

Jeremy Quin: Individual departments are responsible for the payment of salaries and severance payments to current and former Ministers. As such, the information requested is not held centrally.Departments are required to publish compensation payments paid to former Ministers as part of their Annual Report & Accounts.

Cabinet Office: Disclosure of Information

Julie Elliott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many leak inquiries the Cabinet Office undertook in the last year; and what the outcomes of those inquiries were.

Jeremy Quin: It is government policy not to comment on the details of leak investigations.

BBC: Injunctions

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government Security Group conducted an investigation into release of information relating to Government plans to seek an injunction against the BBC over concerns of national security.

Jeremy Quin: It is the longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on leak investigations.

Former Ministers: Redundancy Pay

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which former ministers have received a severance payment after they left Government since 1 June; and what the amount was in each case.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for Islwyn on 28 October 2022 to Questions 71037 and 71036.

Treasury

Parental Pay

Luke Hall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the anticipated 18 months’ lead time that HMRC require, in order to implement paid neonatal leave following Royal Assent for the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to implementing entitlement to Neonatal Leave and Pay as soon as possible. HMRC cannot begin delivery until the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill has Royal Assent. Provisions in the Bill bring this new statutory payment within scope of HMRC’s legal functions, giving it the authority to incur costs. HMRC will need to make changes to their IT systems for the administration, payment and reporting of Neonatal Pay, as well as supporting customers with a calculator, a new suite of online forms and updated guidance. HMRC also need to draw up and publish requirements for external developers, who will need to build Neonatal Leave and Pay into their payroll software products so that employers can administer Neonatal Leave and Pay through payroll. HMRC is working closely with BEIS to establish exact delivery timelines on the basis that Royal Assent is expected in Spring 2023.

Research and Development Expenditure Credit: Small Businesses

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the ONS R&D Tax Credit Data, published 29 September, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the 7.3 per cent of SME R&D tax credit claims being attributable to error and fraud.

Victoria Atkins: The current estimate of error and fraud in the SME R&D scheme is higher than the 2020-21 estimate, reflecting improvements in HMRC’s risk identification process. As part of an ongoing series of reforms to tackle abuse and better target the relief, in November 2021 we announced a series of new compliance measures that will be implemented from April 2023. These include requiring additional information from claimants, and the establishment of an anti-abuse unit.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the average R&D Tax Credit claim found to be fraudulent or in error is.

Victoria Atkins: Information relating to the average R&D tax credit claim found to be fraudulent or in error is not available.HMRC do not publish the breakdown of the level of compliance activity between fraudulent behaviours and other types of non-compliance such as error or mistake despite taking reasonable care.

Conservative Party: North Tyneside

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the North Tyneside Conservative Federation is under investigation for potential furlough fraud.

Victoria Atkins: The Covid schemes have helped millions of people and businesses through the pandemic. HMRC prioritised getting money to those who needed it with the schemes designed to minimise fraud while not unnecessarily delaying payments. HMRC have a statutory duty in respect of customer confidentiality so cannot disclose information on individual customers or businesses as specified in the question. HMRC are taking tough action to tackle fraudulent behaviour. Anyone who keeps grant money despite knowing they were not entitled to it, faces having to repay up to double the amount they received, plus interest and potentially face criminal prosecution.

Hospitality Industry: VAT

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce VAT in the hospitality sector to help pubs and restaurants trade successfully in the context of the cost of living crisis.

Victoria Atkins: The VAT reduced rate for the hospitality sector was a temporary measure designed to support the cash flow and viability of sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It was appropriate that as restrictions were lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increased, the temporary tax reliefs were first reduced and then removed in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax forecast to raise £154 billion in 2022/23 helping to fund key spending priorities such as important public services, including the NHS and policing. In addition, this request should be viewed in the context of over £50 billion of requests for relief from VAT received since the EU referendum. While there are no plans to reduce the rate of VAT on food, beverages, pubs or the wider hospitality industry, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Council Tax: Shared Housing

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that the Valuation Office Agency do not make bedrooms in single shared houses liable for council tax bills.

Victoria Atkins: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has a statutory duty to maintain accurate council tax bands and undertakes this duty independently of Ministers. The VOA makes banding decisions based on the facts in each case, with reference to relevant legislation and case law. Some Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) have separate bands and other HMO properties are aggregated with a single council tax band. Decisions are based on the individual characteristics of the property, considering the nature of the occupation and the degree of physical adaptation. These decisions are supported by legislation and case law. The VOA’s Council Tax manual provides further guidance about the assessment of HMO properties in practice note 6: www.gov.uk/guidance/council-tax-manual/council-tax-practice-notes#PN6

Mortgages: Tax Allowances

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to reintroduce the Mortgage Interest Relief at Source scheme.

Victoria Atkins: There are a wide range of factors to consider when introducing a relief. Landlords are also already able to claim tax relief on finance costs for their rental property. For unincorporated landlords, this can be claimed at the basic rate of Income Tax. The Government has no current plans to reintroduce the Mortgage interest relief at Source (MIRAS) scheme. As with all aspects of the tax system, the Government keeps tax reliefs under review and any decisions on future changes will be taken by the Chancellor in the context of the wider public finances.

Taxation: Domicil

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to abolish non-domiciled tax status.

Victoria Atkins: The Government wants the UK to be a destination that will attract talented people to work and to do business. Having a tax system that is internationally competitive brings in talent and investment which contributes to the growth of the economy. Non-doms play an important role in funding our public services through their tax contributions, and in the tax year ending 2021 non-domiciled taxpayers were liable to pay £7,896 million in UK Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and National Insurance Contributions. The Government keeps all tax policy under review.

Research and Development Tax Credit: Fraud

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the ONS R&D Tax Credit Data, published 29 September 2022, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing HMRC capacity to monitor and assess fraudulent R&D tax credit claims.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC is committed to tackling error and fraud within the R&D reliefs. HMRC has deployed additional resource to undertake compliance checks and improved data-led risking processes. In November 2021, HMRC announced a series of new compliance measures that will be implemented from April 2023. These include improvements to the claims process, which will require additional information from claimants, and the establishment of an anti-abuse unit. Following the suspected criminal attacks in April 2022, HMRC has strengthened its risking and processing systems, and has issued over 1,600 letters to claimants identified via these processes as high risk, asking for more information to validate their claim. More than 80% of these claims have not been paid out as a result of these checks.HMRC has also accelerated the creation of a 50-strong R&D Anti Abuse Unit team, working right across HMRC, to further support the ongoing work in this area. The new Anti-Abuse team and the other measures announced in Autumn Budget 2021 are designed to tackle abuse and boundary pushing whilst limiting the impact on compliant businesses.

Trade: Brexit

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Government's fiscal forecasts differ from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2022 forecast that UK trade will be 15 per cent lower in the long-term due to Brexit.

Andrew Griffith: The Treasury does not publish forecasts of the economy or the public finances; the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the UK’s official forecaster. The OBR will publish an updated economic and fiscal forecast on 17 November, alongside the Autumn Statement. The OBR provides independence, transparency, and credibility to the economic and fiscal forecasts on which government policy is based. The government values the key role of the OBR.

Shares: Sales

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) risks and (b) benefits of short selling; and if he will make it his policy to ban short selling.

Andrew Griffith: The government works closely with the regulators and market participants to monitor the effectiveness of the regulatory regime, in line with the government’s objectives of supporting economic growth and financial stability. The UK’s Short Selling Regime, introduced in 2012, regulates short selling practices while safeguarding companies and the financial system. Among other things, it requires persons to report their short positions in companies whose shares are admitted to trading on UK trading venues, and provides the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with powers to request information from persons on their short selling activities, to apply penalties to persons who do not meet their regulatory obligations under the short selling regime, and to restrict the short selling of certain instruments in certain circumstances. In particular, the FCA can temporarily restrict short selling when the price of an instrument has fallen significantly during a single trading day in relation to the closing price of that instrument on the previous trading day, and can restrict short selling for a period of up to three months when there are adverse events or developments which are a serious threat to financial stability or to market confidence in the UK.

Interest Rates: Income and Mortgages

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of interest rate rises on trends in household income to mortgage cost ratios.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish an assessment of the effect of the November interest rate rise on average mortgage costs and private renting costs by (a) region and (b) income distribution.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish an assessment of the effect of the November interest rate rise on average mortgage costs and private renting costs in (a) cash terms and (b) share of net household income.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Growth Plan 2022 on (a) average mortgage costs and (b) private renting costs broken down by (i) region and (ii) income distribution.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Growth Plan 2022 on average (a) mortgage costs and (b) private renting costs in (i) cash terms and (ii) as a share of net household income.

Andrew Griffith: Interest rates are rising across the world as countries manage rising prices largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. As everyone’s financial situation is unique, the impact of these rate rises on individual households will vary. It is worth noting, however, that around 75% of residential mortgages are on a fixed rate and are therefore shielded from rate rises in the short term, and the Government is committed to ensuring a fair deal for renters. Whilst the pricing of mortgages and the setting of rents are commercial decisions for lenders and private landlords respectively, the Government is carefully considering the impact of rising prices on households. That is why we have announced unprecedented support for households totalling £37 billion, which will support homeowners and tenants alike. In addition to the Energy Price Guarantee, millions of the most vulnerable households will receive £1,200 of support this year, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits. We are continuing to keep the situation under review and focus support on the most vulnerable whilst ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way.

Development Aid

David Linden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will increase Official Development Assistance.

John Glen: In July 2021 the former Chancellor set out the fiscal circumstances under which the UK will make the return to spending 0.7% of its GNI on ODA. This is set out in detail in a written ministerial statement, here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-07-12/hcws172. Each year, the Government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely and will review and confirm, in accordance with the Act, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecasts.

Households: Income

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Growth Plan 2022 on household incomes by income distribution.

John Glen: On 17 October, the Chancellor announced a reversal of almost all of the tax measures set out in the Growth Plan that have not been legislated for in parliament. The Prime Minister and Chancellor have agreed the Autumn Statement will be delivered on 17 November. It will contain the UK’s medium term fiscal plan to put public spending on a sustainable footing, get debt falling and restore economic stability. The Chancellor has been clear that difficult decisions may be needed but he will continue to prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable.

Public Sector Debt

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of what the level of public sector net debt will be at the end of the 2022-23 financial year.

John Glen: The Treasury does not publish forecasts of the economy or the public finances; the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the UK’s official forecaster. In their March 2022 forecast, the OBR projected that Public Sector Net Debt (PSND) for 2022-23 will be £2.4 trillion or 95.5% of GDP. Latest outturn data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows by the end of September, PSND had reached 98% of GDP. The OBR will publish an updated fiscal forecast on 17 November, alongside the Autumn Statement.

Electric Vehicles: Batteries

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish tax rates for Battery Electric Vehicles that are registered as company cars, beyond the 2024-25 financial year ahead of the Autumn Statement on 17 November 2022.

James Cartlidge: Like all taxes, benefit-in-kind tax rates for company cars, also known as Company Car Tax (CCT), are kept under review. The Government aims to announce CCT rates at least two years ahead of implementation to provide certainty for employers, employees and fleet operators

Video Games: Tax Allowances

Chris Law: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the proposal by The Independent Game Developers’ Association to increase video games tax relief from 25 per cent to 32 per cent.

James Cartlidge: The Government recognises the valuable economic and cultural contribution of the video games industry. The Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) has supported £5.1 billion of UK expenditure on 1,940 games since its introduction in 2014. At Spending Review 2021 the government confirmed £8 million for the continuation of the UK Games Fund which provides bespoke support for the UK’s independent video game industry. The Government regularly receives proposals for changes to tax reliefs. When considering changes, the Government must ensure they provide support to businesses in a fair way and that taxpayer money is effectively targeted. An uplift in the rate of VGTR is not currently under consideration. However, the Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.

Mortgages: Costs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent trends in the cost of mortgages in the UK.

Andrew Griffith: Interest and mortgage rates have been rising since last autumn in response to global trends, including Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Crucially, interest rates are not solely rising in the UK: the US Federal Reserve, for instance, has been raising its Base Rate since March 2022. However, the Government has a responsibility to provide stability for markets, including for mortgages. This is why we have taken immediate action to ensure the UK’s economic stability and to provide confidence in the Government’s commitment to fiscal discipline. Whilst the pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene, the Government is in regular contact with mortgage lenders on all aspects of their mortgage lending to understand their position and current lending conditions.

Banks: Taxation

Stephen Farry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether assessment he has made of the potential merits of levying a windfall tax on banks.

Andrew Griffith: Banks already face two additional taxes. The Bank Corporation Tax Surcharge is an additional charge on banking profit above a set allowance, and the Bank Levy is charged on banks’ balance sheets with equity and liabilities over £20 billion. Since the introduction of the Bank Levy in 2011, these two taxes have raised over £33 billion in additional revenue from the banking sector.

Gambling

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential economic costs of delaying the publication of the Gambling White Paper.

James Cartlidge: No assessment has been made. In line with its statutory duties, the independent OBR publish the fiscal impact of any government policy that is introduced as part of the Budget process.

Energy: Prices

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department will (a) begin and (b) publish the results of the three-month review of the (i) Energy Bills Support Scheme, (ii) Energy Price Guarantee and (iii) Energy Bill Relief Scheme for (A) business and (B) non-domestic consumers.

James Cartlidge: The Government has announced unprecedented support to protect households and businesses from high energy prices. The Energy Price Guarantee, Energy Bills Support Scheme and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme are supporting millions of households and businesses with rising energy costs, and they will continue to do so from now until the end of March next year. However, looking beyond April, the Chancellor has said that it would be irresponsible for the Government to continue exposing the public finances to unlimited volatility in international gas prices. A Treasury-led review has therefore been launched to consider how to support households and businesses with energy bills from April 2023. The objective of the review is to design a new approach that will reduce the cost to the taxpayer whilst ensuring enough support for those in need. Any support for businesses will be targeted to those most affected, and the new approach will better incentivise energy efficiency. Further information will be announced in due course.

Spirits: Excise Duties

David Warburton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he will include in the Autumn Statement to protect small distillers from any increase in the level of spirits duty.

James Cartlidge: The Government keeps the duty rates under review during its yearly budget process and aims to balance the impact on businesses with its public health objectives. The alcohol duty uprating decision and interactions with the wider reforms to alcohol duties will be considered in due course.

Visual Impairment: Cost of Living

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what targeted support his Department is providing to (a) partially sighted and (b) blind people struggling with living costs.

John Glen: The Government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and especially to the most vulnerable members of society, such as blind or partially sighted people. That is why the Government is taking decisive action to get households through this winter, while ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way.People who are blind or partially sighted and in receipt of extra-costs disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will receive a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 from 20th September, to help with the rising cost of living. The DWP has already processed around 6 million such payments. This payment can be received in addition to the other £650 Cost of Living Payment for households on means-tested benefits that was announced as part of the same package. Individuals who have limited or no ability to work because of their disability or health condition, and are in receipt of means-tested benefits such as income-related Employment and Support Allowance or the Universal Credit Health top up, are eligible for this support. People who are blind or partially sighted will also benefit from other forms of non-means-tested support which the Government is providing to assist with household energy bills. We have taken decisive action to support millions of households with rising energy costs this winter through the Energy Price Guarantee, ​which limits the price suppliers can charge customers for units of gas and electricity. In addition to the Energy Price Guarantee, millions of the most vulnerable households will receive further support this year through the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme. The £150 Council Tax rebate will also mean that all households in Council Tax bands A-D will receive a rebate, and 99% of eligible households have already received this. Lastly, to support households who need further help or who are not eligible for elements of the wider package of support, the Government is also providing an extra £500 million of local support to help with the cost of essentials until the end of March 2023, via the Household Support Fund. This cost of living support is in addition to the existing specific financial support to help blind or partially sighted people. The Government provides the Blind Person's Allowance (BPA), an extra amount of tax-free allowance that can be added to an individual’s Personal Allowance, to those who are blind or severely sight impaired. In 2022-23, the allowance is £2,600 and therefore worth £520 given the basic rate of 20%. If the recipient does not pay tax or earn enough to use their full BPA, the remainder of the allowance can be transferred to a spouse or civil partner. We are continuing to keep the situation under review and are focusing support on the most vulnerable whilst ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Microprocessors

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has a microchip strategy for the UK in order to (a) increase the resilience of the supply chain for microchips into the UK and (b) boost the UK semiconductor industry.

Paul Scully: The UK and global economy is dependent on a resilient supply of semiconductors across a wide range of applications. The global supply chain for these semiconductor chips is complex and globalised, with long lead-times on new manufacturing capabilities making it difficult to quickly respond to exogenous supply chain shocks.On behalf of the government, DCMS has been reviewing its approach to the UK’s global semiconductor sector and intends to set out its support for the sector in the forthcoming UK Semiconductor Strategy. This has been developed by engaging with industry experts, representative bodies and the wider global community. We recognise that the issues facing the semiconductor sector cannot be solved by the UK alone, and are considering how best to ensure that the UK is resilient to disruptions to semiconductor supply chains. This will include considering how to strengthen the UK's own semiconductor sector and work with international partners to improve long term resilience within the global semiconductor ecosystem.

Semiconductors: Research

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the development of advanced semiconductors.

Paul Scully: The Government recognises the importance of semiconductor technology to the global economy. Semiconductors are a fundamental enabling technology for electronic devices and the UK holds strengths in critical aspects of the advanced semiconductor supply chain, including semiconductor design.The Government is reviewing its approach to the UK’s global semiconductor sector, working with industry experts, representative bodies and the wider global community. The forthcoming Semiconductor Strategy will set out how HMG intends to support this vital and strategically important sector. This will build on existing HMG support for innovation and infrastructure such as the Driving the Electronic Revolution challenge and the National Epitaxy Facility amongst others. We are also collaborating closely with international partners to capitalise and strengthen the UK’s competitive advantage.

Telecommunications: Codes of Practice

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on local government finance, including for Wolverhampton, Swindon and Leeds City Councils, of forthcoming changes to the Electronic Communications Code 2017.

Julia Lopez: The reforms made to the Electronic Communications Code in 2017 were intended to make it cheaper and easier for digital infrastructure to be deployed, maintained and upgraded. These reforms recognised the increasing importance of digital communications services to UK consumers and businesses, and to the wider economy. The Government realised that the reforms would mean landowners receiving lower payments for allowing their land or buildings to be used than had previously been the case. However, these changes were only introduced following an extensive period of consultation and research, and were considered necessary to reduce operator costs and encourage the industry investment required for the UK to get the digital communications infrastructure it needs.The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill (the Bill) contains provisions which will, amongst other things, amend the Code. Prior to the Bill’s introduction an assessment was carried out on potential impacts of reforms in the Bill, but this was general in nature and did not focus on specific categories of landowner.Digital communications infrastructure needs to be rolled out in the right places. From this perspective, publicly owned land must be treated no differently from privately owned land. Although the reforms made to the Code in 2017 may have caused revenue from local authority sites to decrease, they will, however, gain through increased connectivity in their districts and from the economic growth which will accompany increased coverage.The Government does not intend to carry out any additional assessment on the Bill’s potential impact on local authorities. Many consensual Code agreements include a confidentiality clause, meaning that information about the financial terms agreed cannot be shared with others or made publicly available, except in limited circumstances or with the other party’s consent. In addition, the financial arrangements underpinning these agreements can vary significantly: for example, in some instances the parties may agree to up front or lump sum payments, instead of, or as well as, ongoing rental payments.It would therefore be extremely difficult to conduct such an assessment as it is unlikely that comprehensive data would be available. In any event, we do not believe such an assessment is needed or appropriate. Local authorities are responsible for managing their own budgets. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities collects data returns from local authorities in England, however data on the Code or the revenue from telecoms infrastructure sites is not included in these returns. The financial position of councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the relevant devolved administration.

Video Games: Investment

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the proposal by The Independent Game Developers’ Association to introduce a video games investment fund.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s games sector. As part of a wider package to support the growth of the creative industries, the government has committed to an £8 million expansion of the UK Games Fund. The UK Games Fund will continue to provide valuable support to early-stage games development and talented graduates throughout the UK. In addition, the Video Games Tax Relief continues to make the UK one of the leading destinations in the world for making video games.We are not seeking to take forward a proposal for a new Video Games Investment Fund. We welcome continued discussions with the games industry on how best to support a thriving UK games sector.

Charities: Cost of Living

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to financially support advisory charities, in the context of the rising cost of living.

Stuart Andrew: With government support, charities from across the Civil Society sector have shown significant resilience over the past two years, and will again be crucial in supporting communities and households through the winter.We are providing support to all charities, public sector organisations and businesses with their energy costs this winter by offering an energy price guarantee for six months through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. This scheme will benefit charities and community groups across the country, including those which provide advisory services.My Department will keep engaging constructively with the civil society sector and across government to monitor the impact of levels of demand, and ensure DCMS is engaged on policy which impacts charities and crisis support services.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Olivia Blake: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the Government's plan to exclude transgender people from its ban on conversion therapy practices.

Stuart Andrew: Equality Hub Ministers and officials have engaged widely on the issue of conversion practices with victims, LGBT groups, healthcare professionals, faith groups, groups advocating for sex-based rights and parliamentarians. This engagement was an important part of developing proposals for the public consultation that closed earlier this year and many such organisations responded to that consultation.We are carefully considering all the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course. We will continue to work closely with a full range of stakeholders.

Conversion Therapy: Scotland

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendations made by the Ending Conversion Practices Expert Advisory Group in Scotland on 4 October 2022.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Group to the Scottish Government on Ending Conversion Practices in England.

Stuart Andrew: The Government has been liaising with territorial offices and the devolved administrations including the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on this important issue.Officials will continue to work with their counterparts across the devolved administrations to discuss the UK Government’s approach to protecting everyone in England and Wales from conversion therapy practices.

Conversion Therapy

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with her counterparts and legislators in (a) Malta, (b) France, (c) Canada, (d) New Zealand, (e) Greece and the relevant regional or state governments of the (i) US, (ii) Spain and (iii) Australia on their legislation on banning conversion practices and their protection of transgender people.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts in (a) Malta, (b) France, (c) Canada, (d) New Zealand, (e) Greece and the relevant regional and state governments in (i) the USA, (ii) Spain and (iii) Australia on conversion therapy regulations in those jurisdictions.

Stuart Andrew: The Government has engaged with a wide range of international counterparts including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Malta, to understand the approaches they have taken to ban conversion therapy. We will continue to engage with counterparts around the world that are committed to protecting everyone from conversion practices to share insight and develop our approach.

Conversion Therapy

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether her Department has consulted (a) NHS England, (b) NHS Wales, (c) the Royal College of GPs, (d) the Royal College of Psychiatrists, (e) the British Psychological Society and (f) the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy as part of its work to explore the issue of transgender conversion practices further.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, which accredited medical, counselling or psychological organisations support the Government’s plan to exclude transgender people from a ban on conversion practices.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions her Department has had with (a) NHS England, (b) NHS Wales, (c) the Royal College of GPs, (d) the Royal College of Psychiatrists, (e) the British Psychological Society and (f) the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy on transgender conversion practices.

Stuart Andrew: The Equality Hub Ministers and officials have met with healthcare professionals in developing the policy approach to protecting all individuals from conversion practices. Many such organisations responded to the public consultation that closed in February 2022.We will continue to meet with healthcare professionals to inform our approach and will respond to the consultation in due course.

Conversion Therapy

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what work has been undertaken by her Department on transgender conversion practices since the Government set out its plans on this topic in its background briefing to the Queen’s Speech in May 2022.

Stuart Andrew: Since May 2022, the Government has launched a support service open to all victims or those at risk of conversion practices regardless of their background or circumstances. The Government has committed up to £360,000 over three years to this service. The service includes a helpline, instant messaging service, and website to enable people to get the support they need.More widely, the Government remains committed to protecting everyone from these practices. We are carefully considering the responses to the public consultation which closed earlier this year and will respond in due course.

Females: Politics and Government

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to encourage (a) girls and (b) women to participate in politics.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to encourage people from minority ethnic backgrounds to participate in politics.

Maria Caulfield: We have more women MPs than ever before, making up 35% of the House of Commons, and 10% of MPs – including the Prime Minister – are from an ethnic minority background. It is for political parties to select prospective parliamentary candidates.